Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Rafe sat back at Brianna’s question. She was right to bring him down from the sensual haze that had surrounded them. They were in a public restaurant, after all. He blew out a breath. “I’ve always been fascinated by fire.”

She shivered. “Really?”

“Yes.” Mike arrived with their dinner and more cornbread and left. “Let’s eat.” After a few minutes, he glanced at her. “Why did you become a teacher?”

Brianna was quiet for minute. “I like teaching, and kids are fun in second grade. Their minds are usually very open and ready to learn.”

“You said you moved to Pleasant Valley from Seattle a few years ago. Where did you grow up?”

“Oregon.”

“You’re a Pacific Northwest native?”

She laughed. “Not really. I lived in Oregon for a few years. Before that, I worked back East. I got my degree from Maryland University. What about you?”

“I’ve lived in Washington all my life. In different cities, of course.”

“That must have been nice.”

“I was lucky. Family?”

“My parents live in Florida now and enjoy their life there.”

“No siblings?”

“No.” Her gaze slid away from his and to her plate. Rafe wondered about that, but he wouldn’t ask more right now. He didn’t want to make her sad.

“I’m sorry. I have two younger sisters.”

Brianna coughed and took a drink of her water. “Your sisters must love your protectiveness.”

Rafe heard the sarcasm in her voice and grinned. “Not really, but they tolerate it when I see them.”

They finished eating, and Rafe paid the bill over Brianna’s objection.

“I like paying my own way,” she said.

“I’m a little old-fashioned and prefer to pay for my date’s meal.”

She sighed as he helped her into his SUV. Once they were on the road to the club, she turned to him. “What is going to happen tonight?”

“What would you like to happen?” He wanted her to tell him what she was expecting. He”d played with subs but had never had a full-time relationship with one, and that’s what he wanted with Brianna.

“I really enjoyed what you did last week.”

“I’m glad. How much further do you want to take it?” He didn’t want to push her, not yet.

“I’m not sure.” She shifted. “Give me some ideas of what you’d like to try.”

“You know this is for your pleasure, not mine.”

“But I want you to have pleasure, as well.”

“Thank you.” Brianna was so giving; that’s probably what made her a good teacher. “How would you feel tonight going topless in a scene?”

“I think I can do that.”

“Good. I’ll use a feather again and play with your breasts and nipples. After that, we’ll see how you feel.”

“That works.”

Rafe turned into the driveway of the club, punched in the gate code, and parked. He helped Brianna out, then grabbed their bags. Once they signed in, he watched her go into the women’s bathroom, and he went into the men’s. Thankfully, he could change quicker than she could.

* * * *

Brianna went to an open locker and put her purse inside, then set her bag on the bench. A sob echoed through the room. “Hello,” she called out.

“I’m fine,” came a shaky voice.

She followed the voice and found Emily, one of the subs, sitting on the bench by the toilets. “Emily, what’s wrong?” Brianna sat down and put her arm around Emily’s shoulders.

“It’s nothing. I’m just being over emotional.”

“I don’t believe that. Do you want me to go get someone?”

“No,” Emily yelled. “See? Over emotional.”

Something had happened. Brianna persisted. “I’m here.” She squeezed Emily. “It sometimes helps to talk about it.” Brianna racked her brain to remember if Emily had a partner. During her last class, she’d been introduced to a lot of the subs and their partners.

“I don’t want Master Max involved.”

Red flags went up. Brianna was aware Max was very protective of all the subs, regardless of gender. “I can’t say I won’t involve Master Max, but I can say I won’t tell him unless I think others might be in danger.” She could live with that compromise.

“You haven’t played much here, have you?”

“Not really. Holidays and all.”

“The holidays are pretty quiet around here, and that’s fine. I don’t have family close, and it’s hard for me to travel and see them, so I like coming to the club.”

Brianna nodded. “I can understand that.”

“Master Max closed the club for Christmas and New Year, and normally, that isn’t an issue.”

“But this year it was.”

“I was feeling lonely. And I’d met a Dom here at the club. He’s been a member, and I didn’t see any red flags.”

“But?” Brianna knew something had happened.

“We went to coffee and dinner a few times, and then he asked me to a New Year’s Eve party. I accepted.” Brianna nodded, and Emily continued, “When the party was over…” Emily let out a hiccup as fresh tears ran down her face.

“Did he force you?”

Emily nodded.

Brianna took a deep breath. “Is he here in the club tonight?”

“Yes. I saw him the minute I walked in, and I ran out.”

“I don’t blame you.” Brianna stood and grabbed one of the tissue boxes sitting by the sink and took it to Emily. “I know you don’t want to involve Master Max, but we need to. What he did was a crime.”

“How? We were dating.”

“I don’t give a damn if you were married. He violated your trust and you.”

“I guess.” Emily wiped her face.

“What is his name?” Brianna kept her tone calm even though rage flowed through her veins.

“Ward.”

“I’ll be right back.” Brianna stood, grateful she was still dressed. She marched out of the bathroom.

“Brianna?” Rafe straightened from where he was leaning against the wall.

“Give me a minute.” She didn’t stop but made her way into the club and found Master Max by the bar. “Master Max.”

He turned, and his gaze took in her clothing. “Brianna, I believe you know our rules.”

Max’s cold tone sent a shiver though her, but she straightened her spine and lifted her chin. “Yes, but right now I don’t care about the clothing rules.”

“You’re upset.”

“I’m mad, angry, furious.” She wanted to stomp her foot, but that was going a little too far. Max glanced over her shoulder.

“Did Rafe do something?”

“No. Rafe is fine. But there is something I need to tell you, and I’d rather not have an audience doing it.”

“All right. Let’s go into my office.”

“Could you please send one of the other subs into the women’s bathroom?”

Max frowned and waved over Sierra. “Honey, would you please go check on whomever is in the bathroom.”

“Of course, Sir.” Sierra glanced from Brianna to Max and back.

“It’s Emily,” Brianna whispered into Sierra’s ear.

Sierra frowned and left.

Max gestured for Brianna to follow him. Once inside his office, Brianna realized Rafe was with them. She glanced at him.

“I’m not leaving you.”

Brianna nodded. It felt good to have support.

“Tell me who is in the bathroom and what the hell is going on,” Max said.

“Emily is in the bathroom, and some Dom named Ward assaulted her.” Damn, she hadn’t meant to blurt that out like that.

Max’s eyes turned stormy, and he kept his gaze on her. “Rafe, please go get Jordan and Damon. Send Tessa and Crystal to be with Sierra and Emily.”

“Will do.” Rafe left.

“Sit down, Brianna. You must know I would take an accusation like this seriously.”

“Yes.” She sat down in the plush office chair. “I believe Emily.”

He nodded. “I’ll only make you tell the story once when Jordan and Damon get here.”

“I appreciate that.” Not that she had a complete story, but enough. Damon and Jordan walked in with concern on their faces. “Where’s Rafe?”

“He stayed in the club; said he needed to watch someone,” Jordan said. “What’s going on?”

“Brianna, please tell us what Emily said.”

Brianna took a deep breath and then repeated what Emily told her. It was short, but by the end, all the men in the room were simmering with anger.

“I thought we had him straightened out,” Jordan said.

“After the incident with Kaley, I thought so too,” Max said.

“What happened with Kaley?” Brianna had chatted with Kaley several times.

“Nothing major. Ward grabbed her wrist one night when she was behind the bar.” Max looked at her. “Why don’t you go back to Emily; we will be there shortly to make sure she’s okay.”

Brianna nodded. The tension in the room was thick, and she had a feeling things were not going to go well for Ward. She made her way back into the bathroom. Sierra, Crystal, and Tessa surrounded Emily. Emily looked up at Brianna and whispered, “Thank you.”

* * * *

Rafe watched Ward from the bar after Kaley pointed him out. Thankfully, she didn’t ask him why he wanted to know which Dom was Ward. Hell, the man wasn’t a Dom. He was a predator. Max walked in and motioned to Logan before they walked out.

A short time later, Max and Logan walked in and didn’t even hesitate; they walked directly over to Ward and marched him out of the club, Rafe following.

In the lobby were two police officers plus Jordan and Damon.

“You’re done,” Max said to Ward.

“What is going on?” Ward asked, eyeing the police officers.

“You’re under arrest,” Logan said, nodding at the other two officers.

“What?” Ward struggled when the officers pulled his arms behind his back.

“You’re under arrest for sexual assault. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights?” Logan asked.

“I do. And Emily is a fucking liar. That bitch.”

Max took a step forward. Jordan and Damon grabbed him by the arm, and Logan glared at him.

“I never mentioned who turned you in, asshole. Take him in and book him. I’ll meet you at the station with the victim’s statement,” Logan told the other two officers.

They nodded and marched Ward out of the club. “Sexual assault?” Rafe asked, trying to wrap his head around what just happened.

“I need to talk with Emily. I’ll go put a shirt on.” Logan left.

“I’ll get the women out of the bathroom,” Rafe said. All eyes turned to him. “I’m probably the least intimidating one of the bunch of us.”

Max nodded. “All right. We’re going to need someplace to talk.”

“Classroom,” Jordan suggested.

“I’ll close the curtains and let Colby, Zeke, and Gabriel know to keep that area clear,” Damon said.

“I like that. Bring the women to the classroom when they’re ready. We’ll wait as long as Emily needs.”

Rafe blew out a breath before he stuck his head into the women’s bathroom. “May I come in?”

“Yes, Rafe,” Brianna’s voice called out.

He moved into the room and saw the women huddled around Emily. “Hi, Emily,” he said softly. “We’ve met before, but I don’t know if you remember.”

“I do. Is he—Is he gone?” Emily asked.

Rafe wasn’t sure how much to tell her. “Max would like to speak with you.”

“Am I in trouble?” Emily’s voice was soft.

“No, you absolutely are not,” Sierra said. “Logan needs to hear your story; that is all.”

“Will you stay with me?” Emily asked.

“Of course, we will.” All the women spoke at the same time. Sierra and Crystal held onto Emily’s arms as they stood.

“Where are we going?” Sierra asked.

“Classroom.”

She nodded, and Rafe followed the group of women out. He knew the subs took care of their own, but he’d not really seen it in action until now. He glanced at Brianna. “You okay?”

“Once this gets settled, I will be.”

* * * *

Three hours later, the club was closed. Logan had gotten Emily’s statement. Dane and Regina offered to take Emily home with them until Zeke could swing by tomorrow and put better locks on her doors and make sure a security system was installed.

A family, Brianna thought. They were like a family rallying around a member who needed help. Her heart warmed. Maybe one day she’d belong to a family like this.

“I need a drink,” Jordan said, sitting next to Crystal at the group of tables and chairs they’d pulled around so everyone could sit and talk.

“Wrong place,” Kaley commented.

“Not anymore,” Sierra said, walking in with Max. Both of them carried bottles. Several of them.

“Out from behind the bar, Kaley. I’ll take over,” Max said.

“Yes, Sir.” Kaley came out from behind the bar and over to Anthony. He drew her onto his lap.

“Drop the protocols, everyone,” Max said, opening the first bottle. “I have red or white wine, vodka, and tequila.”

Orders started flying. Brianna understood. It had been a hell of a night.

“What would you like?” Rafe asked her.

“Red, please.” She didn’t want anything too heavy. While she knew they wouldn’t play after drinking, she also didn’t want to have a hangover in the morning from heavy alcohol use.

After everyone had a drink, Brianna glanced at Max as he came to the table. “Can I ask a question?” She didn’t want to offend anyone here.

“Go for it,” Max replied.

“How did Ward get past all your screening?”

“Damn good question,” Damon said.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Colby said. “We all talked with him when he grabbed Kaley, and he swore it was an accident, and he didn’t mean to.”

“He even apologized to me,” Kaley commented.

“Plus, he went through all the classes again after Dani told us that Ward wasn’t taking no from the subs when he asked them to scene, and he passed his probation period without issue.” Max rubbed his forehead.

Brianna processed their words. “He was able to hide his true self so as not to alert any of you.” All eyes turned her way.

“But how?” Tessa asked.

“I’m taking a guess, since I wasn’t here when the incidents happened, but based on the screening process Max makes everyone go through, I wonder how Ward slipped through?” Brianna pondered her next words.

“The subs did talk though,” Crystal commented.

Max’s gaze zeroed in on her. “Talked how?”

“Tone it down, honey.” Sierra laid her hand on his arm, and instantly Max’s shoulders sagged.

“Just passing comments, nothing concrete.” It was the truth.

“Damn it, we do extensive background checks, and nothing flagged,” Jordan said, taking a swig of his vodka tonic.

“Did he ever mention being at another club?” Brianna’s mind puzzled the pieces together. She sometimes saw things others didn’t. It helped her be a better teacher.

“No,” Max answered. “The BDSM community is a small one, and someone would have mentioned an issue.”

“Is that really true?” Allyson piped up. “Not all clubs have rules or are SSC. The ones I used to attend in Seattle didn’t. I doubt anyone would mention someone like Ward.”

“Fuck,” Max spit out.

More pieces, Brianna thought. “If not all clubs have rules, it could be he was going to other clubs.”

“Then why join here?” Zeke asked, holding Allyson close.

“Power,” Anthony muttered.

“Power, ego, whatever floated his boat,” Rafe said.

“All of that is probably right,” Brianna said. “He was arrogant to think he wouldn’t get caught, and he escalated his need for power. I know you all know sexual assault is not for sexual satisfaction. It’s for power over another.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rafe stiffen. “And before anyone gets their dander up, it hasn’t happened to me. I’ve taken a lot of psychology classes.”

“But you’re an elementary school teacher,” Rafe said.

“I still had to understand basic human behavior.”

“Well, damn,” Colby muttered.

“I don’t think Ward realized how close of a family you all are.”

“What do we do now?” Sierra asked.

“I’ve already removed his code from the security system,” Max said.

“Logan has Emily’s side of the story,” Kaley said.

“I’ve talked with Emily about an emergency temporary restraining order. I’ll file it first thing tomorrow and make some calls,” Jordan commented.

“It’s the weekend, so arraignment won’t be until Monday,” Crystal added.

“Will he get out on bail?” Brianna asked.

“More than likely,” Jordan said.

“Then we make sure Emily is safe,” Sierra replied.

“She will be, honey.” Max put his arm around his wife. “While the restraining order isn’t foolproof, new locks, an alarm system, and all of us we’ll make sure of it.”

Brianna’s heart swelled. This is what she missed: Being a part of something special. And these people were remarkable.

“Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve had enough excitement for a Friday night,” Colby said, standing up.

“Yeah.” Zeke stood, as well. “The club is going to be open tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Max said.

Everyone carried their glasses and the empty bottles to the bar. Kaley slipped behind the bar, loaded the glasses into the dishwasher, and tossed the bottles into the recycle bin.

“Kaley, you didn’t need to do that,” Max said.

“It’s done.” Kaley smiled as Anthony pulled her into his arms.

All but Max and Sierra walked out into the parking lot. Rafe helped Brianna into his vehicle, and they followed the line of cars out.

“Sorry our scene didn’t happen,” he said.

“It’s okay. I just hope…” She sighed.

“You’re worried about Emily.”

“Yes. She was assaulted. No one should have to deal with that on their own.”

“Brianna.” Rafe reached over and picked up her hand from where it lay in her lap. “I can promise you she isn’t. Regina is a nurse; she’ll make sure Emily is okay and gets therapy or whatever help she needs.” He squeezed her fingers. “Everyone at the club will be there for Emily.”

“I want to help, but I’m not sure how.”

“You already did.”

“How?”

“You talked with her. You were able to get her to tell you what was bothering her, and you informed Max.”

“It doesn’t seem like much.” It didn’t to her. Maybe it was because she was used to helping kids when they scraped their knees or when they were upset. She got resolution in those instances. This… This would bother Emily for the rest of her life.

“It’s a big thing, and I’m happy you were there for her.”

“Thank you.” Brianna tightened her fingers around his. “There’s always tomorrow night.”

“That there is.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers.

All too soon, they arrived at her apartment building. Rafe insisted on escorting her to her apartment door.

“Would you allow me to check your apartment?”

Brianna looked at him. “Why?”

“One of those little protective things I like to do.”

She shrugged and handed him the keys. Rafe unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Lights are on the right.”

He reached over and flipped them on. “Be right back.”

Shaking her head, Brianna watched as he walked through her apartment, checking windows and in the corners. She’d never had an issue, but she was coming to realize how protective these dominant men were.

Tonight showed her that. How they kept touching their subs or wives. Keeping some sort of contact in comfort and care. She sighed. She wanted that. Was that something she could have with Rafe? Too early to know. They were just starting out together.

“Everything’s good.”

“Thank you.”

He cupped her chin. “At any time, if you feel unsafe or need me, just call me.”

Her heart warmed. “I will.”

“Good. I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow for the club.”

“I can do that.” It was Saturday, and she was looking forward to it.

“I’m going to kiss you now.” He pulled her into his arms and lowered his head.

Brianna opened her mouth to his. Their tongues tangled, chasing each other around as they embraced. Oh yeah, Rafe knew how to kiss. Not sloppy or hurried. He took his time with her, and she enjoyed every second of it.

He broke the kiss, and she tried to catch her breath. “Until tomorrow.” Rafe brushed another kiss over her lips before he closed the door. “Lock up.”

She was still trying to figure out what he said when he maneuvered her into her apartment. “Yes, Sir.” Flipping the deadbolt and the door lock, she waited.

“’Night, my Brianna.”

His words sent a shaft of longing through her. He called her “my Brianna”. A warmth grew inside her, a feeling she’d never known before.

Yes, she wanted to be his.