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Then she frowned.
“What do you mean she’s glaring at you?” Rae leaned to the side so she could see around Domi, who also turned in her seat.
“Wait, don’t look… ah, shit.” Iris sighed.
Rae had already made eye contact with Noelle, who looked startled to suddenly be at the center of their attention. She turned away from Rae’s glare and started talking to the others she was with, gesticulating wildly. Sam dropped her head into her hands while Amy reached out, focusing on Noelle like she was trying to soothe her. The other two, Marissa and Carolyn, turned to look at Rae and Domi… and probably Iris, although Iris was staring at the ceiling and taking deep breaths.
Marissa raised her eyebrow, and Carolyn smirked before they both turned back to whatever Noelle was saying. Wait, was Noelle crying? Good grief. It looked like she might be. Amy had her arm around Noelle’s shoulders and was patting her knee with her other hand. Sam looked over at Iris with an apologetic expression on her face.
Great. She was sure that couldn’t be good.
“What on earth is she doing?” Rae murmured, watching with consternation as Noelle suddenly jumped up, Amy trailing after her.
“Who the fuck knows,” Domi said, shaking her head. “To cause trouble, probably.”
“I wish you guys hadn’t looked. Now she knows I was talking about her.” Iris sighed.
“Yeah, because she was glaring at you.”
“I didn’t want her to know it was getting to me. And now she knows I said something about her, just like she’s always telling everyone I do. Look, she’s going to tell Patrick.”
Sure enough, Noelle was knocking on Patrick’s office door, ignoring whatever Amy was saying to her. Back in the Lounge area, where Marissa, Carolyn, and Sam still were, the three of them were looking at each other with what appeared to be confusion. They didn’t know what Noelle was doing either.
Well, this should be interesting. Law was in there with Mistress Julie, having a meeting with Patrick about the upcoming round of classes. Rae didn’t think any of them would appreciate a specious interruption.
“What’s going on?” Mitch had come back from the bathroom, making all of them jump. He frowned at them, obviously picking up on the tension. “What are you all looking… Oh. Noelle.” The disapproval in his voice made it clear what he thought of her.
The door to Patrick’s office opened, and as they watched, the big man himself appeared in the doorway, towering over Noelle. The big black man took up most of the doorway, and his expression said he did not like being interrupted. But if she found him intimidating, she didn’t act like it. She immediately started gesticulating wildly, waving her hand at Amy like she was trying to hush anything the other woman said.
“What is she doing?”
“We’re not sure. Iris said she kept glaring at her, so Domi and I both looked over, then she started waving her hands and acting upset, and then she jumped up and ran over to start knocking on Patrick’s door.” Rae shrugged. She wasn’t sure what had set Noelle off, but clearly, she was looking to cause some kind of scene.
Patrick looked up and over at their table. There was no point in pretending they weren’t watching what was going on, so they just all looked back. Even from across the room, Rae could see him sigh, then he nodded. Noelle stepped back, dramatically wiping some tears away.
As Patrick headed over to their table, Noelle and Amy on either side of him, Law and Julie came out of the office behind him. There wasn’t a total hush in the club as he moved, but more than one person looked up and started watching where he was going. Over in the Lounge area, the rest of Noelle’s friends got to their feet and started to come over as well.
Great. It was going to be a whole little party.
“Ladies, Mitch.” Patrick nodded his head when he reached them. Noelle stood at his side, still sniffling, though Rae was pretty sure she saw satisfaction glowing in Noelle’s eyes. “Sorry to interrupt your evening, but I have to ask you a couple of questions. Mitch, have you been with the ladies all evening?”
“No, I just got back from the bathroom.” Mitch sighed. “Sorry.”
“I see.” Patrick looked disappointed. “Okay, then. Ladies, can you tell me what, if any, interactions you’ve had with Noelle this evening?”
“They—” Noelle started to say, her voice shrill, but Patrick’s hand was already going up in the air to make the ‘stop’ sign. She was smart enough to cut off whatever bullshit she’d been about to start spouting off.
“I asked them,” Patrick said sternly. Noelle glared, but she subsided, and Patrick turned his attention back to the table, his gaze sweeping over Iris, Rae, and Domi in turn. “Ladies?”
27
Brian
Walking into Stronghold, Patrick headed across the club to a table where Rae was sitting, which was not what Brian had been expecting to walk into. There were two other women with him, and behind him were Law and Julie, who Brian recognized immediately. At least, he’d spent enough time with Law on the island that he knew the back of that bald head, and it wasn’t hard to figure out that Julie was the one next to him—not too many FemDoms at Stronghold had her petite stature, and none had the combo of her stature and long black hair.
There was a sense of tension in the air, of drama, and he picked up his pace to find out what was going on.
“Iris was feeling uncomfortable because she said Noelle kept glaring at her.” Rae’s voice floated above the crowd, clearly heard as Brian slid around to the side so he could see a little better. Mitch glanced over and saw him, but the others didn’t seem to.
