Page 72 of Mercy (Salacious Players Club)
Her lips are slightly parted as I spot the glint of moisture in her eyes, reflected by the light of the tablet in her hands. Fuck, I hope she doesn’t see that and start beating herself up again.
She swallows before whispering, “This is beautiful.”
“Yeah…well, it’s you.”
Her head turns in my direction, and I expect her reaction to be warm. Instead, she frowns and looks away, clearly bothered by something.
“You okay?”
With a few quick blinks, she forces a smile, hands back my tablet, and touches my leg. “Yeah. You’re a really good artist, Beau.”
“Thanks.”
After a moment, she adds, “So, I got some news today. At work. Next month, I’ll be relocating to Phoenix for a while to open the new club. You’ll have to get back on the app and find yourself a new Domme.”
I’m frozen, staring at her and trying to piece together what just came out of her mouth. A new Domme? Just last night, she made me promise I belonged to her, and now…she wants me to find someone new?
“You’re moving to Phoenix?”
“Temporarily, but at least for six months, if I had to guess.”
She looks back down at her phone and her sudden nonchalance regarding this news has me feeling irritable. I want to grab that phone out of her hand and throw it against the wall. I want to yell at her to stop avoiding whatever it is she wants to say, but I don’t. If she’s going to act like it’s nothing, then so will I.
I mean…all the buildup, the trust building, and the things we’ve learned are just going to be tossed in a month. Just like that.
“I should probably go,” I mutter, and her head snaps in my direction as I jump up from the couch.
“In this weather? It’s too dangerous. Just stay.” She follows me, and I try not to read too much into the way she sounds as she asks me to stay. It’s just my safety she’s worried about.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll drive slow,” I argue as I grab my keys from the table.
“Beau, stay,” she replies, more harshly this time.
When I spin to her, I feel the tension. “Are you asking me or are you telling me?”
She hesitates. “I’m…” The words stop and I watch as she realizes the difference. If she’s telling me to stay then we are nothing more than a Domme and her sub. Even if she just implied it with that statement about me needing to find someone new after she abruptly moves away next month. But if she’s asking, then it means she wants me here.
“Beau,” she says with a sigh as her shoulders sag, “Iwantyou to stay. I’m asking you to stay.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I mutter in response, my tone laced with bitterness.
She reaches for my arm, tenderly running her fingers down my bicep. “You’re mad about Phoenix.”
I shake my head. “No, I’m not. I don’t give a shit. But I’m not finding another Domme. I only did this as an experiment, remember? I’m not my dad. This lifestyle isn’t for me.”
Her brow folds inward as her shoulders soften even more. “If I told you to kneel right now, you’d do it.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” I snap back. “You think I’m just gonna be your bitch all the time. I just do it for the sex, Maggie.”
She pushes her chest out and lifts her chin. “Bullshit. You’re just being defensive. You love being a sub, and I don’t understand why you can’t just admit that.”
“Because I’m not. I told you. It was an experiment.”
She grabs my shirt and pulls me toward her. “Fine. I’ll be submissive tonight.”
As she drops to her knees in front of me, I stare at her in surprise. It’s odd to see her like this, and I don’t like it.
“Stand up. I don’t want this.”
