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“I'm fine. Just resting my eyes.”
“You've been resting them for an hour, Connie. I meant what I said. If you don't want to submit to me, I'll find you someone else. You've been dodging me, all of us, for the past few days. I thoroughly enjoyed last week, and I hope you did too.” He sighed as she stretched and stumbled to her feet. “Perhaps the problem is that we know each other too well. What do you think of Thane?”
Her brain twitched, trying to change tracks as the subject bounced from one subject to another. “Thane?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“He seems okay,” she said, baffled. God, she hated having a serious discussion when she wasn't alert enough to process the information. “Why?” When he pinned her with a look, Connie remembered what she'd agreed to do when she was in this room, with him. “Why are you asking, Sir?”
“What is rule number two?”
Oh boy. She scrunched her face up, trying to recall his damn rules. Atticus had texted them to her nearly every day, so in theory, she should know them by heart…if she'd actually read them. “Ah…that's the trust rule, right? Trust you to look after me and understand you're doing things for my sake, yadda blah.” Well, it was something like that, she was sure.
Atticus's face darkened. “That's number three, but I think that comes into play here as well. Rule number two: you are submissive to me or any other Dom who comes in here.” He grasped her face, studying her keenly, then shook his head. “This isn't going to work, Con. We know each other too well, and you don't see me as a Dom, you see me as your friend. I'm not willing to destroy our friendship, not when you need all the friends you can get to pull you through this.”
Part of her felt the loss keenly, realizing she'd pushed him away too far, but another part was relieved she'd be left alone to handle the disaster of her life by herself. She eased back gently until his big hands left her cheeks, nodding her agreement. “I don't want to lose you as a friend either, Atticus. Thank you for trying to help, but I can manage. I'm just glad you've seen how ridiculous it is to try and make me submit when I'm not—”
He snorted and raised his eyebrow at her. “I said you don't see meas a Dom, Connie. The plan is sound. The plan will work, just not with me. Not with Loki or Jasper or Liam. We're your equals here, we don't see you as submissive, and I, personally, find it difficult to keep pushing you because I only know you as a dominant personality.”
“Been doing a pretty good job of it,” she muttered.
“That's because I love you.” There was no humor in his voice. “I want the old Connie back, not this mopey, weighed down version who looks like she might just go home, go to sleep, and not wake up. I want you around for the next fifty, sixty years, Connie, and the way you're going…I'm worried for you. Weas a club are worried about you. So, I've taken some liberties.”
“Liberties,” she repeated dumbly.
Atticus walked over to the door and yanked it open. Sticking his head outside, his voice rumbled as he spoke to someone, then he stepped back. He gave Connie a rueful smile, then another man limped through the doorway and simply stood, watching her as Atticus closed the door.
“Thane doesn't know you or your history.” Atticus didn't move away from the door, which concerned her slightly. “You don't know Thane or how he'll react to you acting out. He's passed the club background check,” he said pointedly, and Connie knew he really meant the guy had passed Atticus'strict background search. “He knows your hard limits, and the room is wired for the club safewords.”
“Don't you dare leave this room, Atticus!” Please don't leave me.
Her friend—her fucking ex-friend, she thought furiously—mouthed behave, then slipped out of the room, closing the door quietly at his back. Leaving her alone with a complete stranger. Well, she'd just have to suit up and kick Thane's ass for being stupid enough to take on a project he knew nothing about. If Atticus had told him to tame her, he would get more than he'd bargained for.
Amber eyes didn't leave her face. Not at all. Didn't even flick down to caress the swell of her breasts popping up from the corset. The look in those eyes was different to what had been in them when she'd met him in the bar, as though steel shutters had closed behind them. Patient, yes, but this was a man who'd chosen his battleground and was standing firm.
“This is definitely an interesting twist on the evening I had planned,” Thane mused slowly, his lips curving. He had a nice smile, even with that wolfish edge to it. “I figured I'd come meet some new faces, have a drink, maybe talk a lovely lady into sitting with me and talking for an hour.”
Her lip curled. “If talking's all you’re here for, maybe Avalon’s not for you.”
“Fear is a funny thing. It makes people shut down, pushes them into running and taking cover. It can loosen tongues, encouraging someone to say what they might not mean to.” His eyes darkened along with his smile. “That's strike one, Constance. Believe me, you don't want to strike out.” He walked over to her, favoring his left leg. “I'm not a bad guy, I promise. You have my word you're safe with me. But I'm not a pushover and I don't back down unless there's a damn good reason.”
Calm, controlled voice. No blustering threats, no nasty taunts. Thane simply said what he had to, and she respected that. When he came close, she almost took a step back, almost lowered her gaze before she reminded herself who she was supposed to be.
“Atticus might have given you inaccurate information,” she told him with an apologetic shrug. “We've been friends for a long time, and he seems to have it in his head that I need to submit. I'm really sorry he's dragged you into this, but your services as a Dom for hire or whatever arrangement he's set in place aren't required.”
Thane laughed and stopped less than an arm's span away from her. Pinning her with those goddamn eyes, he snapped out a single word in a tone that hit her nervous system dead center. “Kneel.”
She didn't have chance to argue, barter, backchat, or refuse. The resonance in his voice tugged her submissive side along like a toy truck on a string. Her knees hit the carpet, and she quivered as she assumed the position Evan had literally beaten into her. Legs spread, back straight, chin on her chest, and her hands clasped at the base of her spine.
“That is beautiful. Damn near perfect, except I prefer a sub's hands to be on her thighs, palms down, and her chin to be…” A fingertip hooked under her chin, eased it up until her head was level. “Just like that. I like to watch a woman's eyes; she can't lie with her eyes like she can with her mouth. Now,” he continued, walking around her, “Atticus filled me in on just about everything. Discretion is assured.”
“Thane, seriously, this is—”
“Strike two. Master Thane or Sir are the only two titles I accept during scenes. Atticus tells me this is your safe place, so we'll keep it that way.” He rested his hand on top of her head, threading his fingers through her hair. “You're a strong woman, Connie, I get that. I saw it out there in the bar. I like it, a lot. But you don't hide the submissive in you as well as you believe you do. It showed in your eyes when Atticus grabbed you by the neck. The eyes don't lie.”
She squirmed, wishing she'd put panties on, but the damn leather pants left no room for underwear, not even a damn thong. Her pussy clenched, enjoying the gentle tug of his fingers in her hair, savoring the rhythm and inflections of his voice. “I don't know you.”
“No,” he agreed easily, “you don't. Which should make what comes next a little less difficult to handle.”
