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“That’s not an insult; I like your brother.”
Tabitha snorted. “He’s an asshole, like the rest of the Doms.”
“They just think they’re the big, bad bosses—which they are, technically—but just remember we’re the ones who can stop them in their tracks with a word.” Moving to the sink, Sierra snatched a pretty yellow towel from the holder and dampened it under the faucet. “Why has yours set you off so badly?”
She watched Tabitha’s face crumple in the mirror, her shoulders slumping. Whatever Grit had said or done must’ve been really bad. When she sank to the floor, sitting hopelessly amongst shards of broken mirror and her own blood, Sierra’s heart cried for her. “I-I can’t even say it.”
Crouching, Sierra reached for Tabitha’s bloody hand, touching palm to palm to hold it steady as she laid the cool, wet towel over the damaged knuckles. “I won’t judge, Tabitha. You or him.”
“You should judge him, the lying fuckwit.” She sniffled, inhaling quickly as though that might hide the fact she wanted to cry. “I trust one person in this world. There’s one person on this entire rotten planet who went out of his way toearnthat trust, and now… he’s a bastard. I hate him.”
“No, you don’t. I’m going to hazard a guess here; he’s pushing your limits?”
“Pushing them? Hah. He’s breaking them.”
Sierra frowned. A sub’s limits were in place for a reason. Part of being involved in this lifestyle was that golden rule of abiding by the safeword. For a Dom to ignore or disrespect that rule… it wasn’t unthinkable, it happened more often than the community liked, and was so out of character for Grit, she had difficulty believing it of him.
“Did a scene get out of hand?” Sierra asked gently, cleaning away some of the blood.
“It’s not what he’s done, it’s what he…” Shuddering, Tabitha pinched the bridge of her nose until her fingertips turned white. “He wantsallof me.”
“Is that a bad thing? Dominic messed you up, just like Jasper, right?” The name of Wyatt’s murderer tasted foul, but she pushed past it. “It makes sense Grit wants to reclaim what your father stole, or as much of it as he can. Liam does the same with me—not because he wants it for himself, but because he has a need to give it back tome. Wyatt did some horrible things; Liam’s never stopped trying to make it right, even though he wasn’t responsible for any of it.”
“I don’t see how fucking my ass—” Tabitha paused, her skin taking on a slightly green cast before she doubled over on a retch. She reacted violently to the gentle hand Sierra set on her back, making a terrible noise that conveyed just how much she was suffering.
The door swung open; Mistress Felicity stepped inside, stopping dead as she assessed the situation. Horror dawned in her eyes. “Sierra, your Dom needs to see you outside, please.”
Tabitha’s head jerked up. Faster than Sierra could blink, she was on her feet, on the defensive, and the soft moment they’d been sharing was ready to shatter.
Moving slower, Sierra rose gracefully, putting herself between the two women, shielding Tabitha. “Please tell Liam I’m busy, Mistress Felicity. He can punish me later if necessary, but rightnow I’m having girl time with my friend. We’d appreciate some privacy.”
“Your friend needs medical attention,” Felicity said bluntly.
For God’s sake, could the woman not read between the lines? Sierra narrowed her eyes, feeling Tabitha vibrating behind her. The tension in the room amplified at the mention of medical intervention, and she wasn’t sure how much pressure it would take to blow the situation sky high.
“I’m taking care of it. Everything’s okay here.”
“Just go, Sierra. No point you getting into shit with your Dom just because mine’s a fucking asshole.” Knuckles cracked behind her. “The Domme isn’t taking me without a fight, so don’t get in the way.”
All right, enough was enough. This was worse than being stuck between two guys squabbling over who had the bigger dick, she thought in disgust. Trying to channel some of Liam’s dominant energy, she jabbed a finger at the door.
“Mistress Felicity, please, let me handle this. Liam’s already pissed, he can just seethe for a while longer. I’m asking you not to put me in a position of authority I’m not comfortable with,” Sierra added, pointedly. “I’m not dominant, I’ll probably cave if you make it an order, but we all know if I leave, this is going to escalate. Tabitha needs a few minutes to calm down.”
“It’s my responsibility—”
“With all due respect, Mistress, I am not a child. I’m a grown woman fully capable of helping a friend in distress.” Fuck, where had this backbone come from? “If you want to help, a first aid kit would go a long way.”
Felicity scowled. “You have five minutes, girl. Any longer and both your Doms will end up breaking club rules.”
“Thank you.” Sierra maintained her position until the Domme left, then sagged as her legs went numb from the knees down. “Well fuck, that just earned me the spanking of a lifetime.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
Tabitha’s voice quivered. “Stand up for me that way. Defend me.”
Slowly, certain her legs would crumple if she moved too fast, Sierra turned to face her. “I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I didn’t. You don’t need to be manhandled and humiliated. Being scared shouldn’t be a punishable offence, even if you have smashed up the bathroom. We can fix this, but only if things stay calm.”
