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  Her sharp snap raised Aidan’s eyebrows. Right now, he didn’t care if he’d insulted her. His thoughts weren’t centered on logic. Cora is hurting. “Tell me, then, why was she so sad?”

  “She wasn’t sad,” Presley retorted in a soft voice. “She seemed annoyed at me.”

  Lies!

  No flames of anger raged through Cora’s lovely eyes. Torment, longing, and despair were what he recognized. Emotions he knew all too well. His chest heaved at the thought that she suffered. Cora was a ball of sunshine in what could be a dark world. “What was she annoyed about, then?”

  Presley eyed the exit. “Oh, so, she …”

  His inhale through his nose did nothing to ease his tension. “Presley, if you want Master Dmitri to stay out of this, you have thirty seconds to answer me.”

  She gulped, glancing to the ceiling. “Okay, thirty seconds.” Her fingers thumbed against her bare thigh. “Um … all right, Cora …”

  Aidan yanked his hands out of his pockets and crossed his arms, watching her ramble. If Presley were his submissive, she’d be over his lap so fast with her ass turning bright red. “Twenty seconds,” he told her.

  Her face scrunched. “Err …”

  He continued to count down as he fought through ideas for why he’d seen what he had tonight. He questioned if maybe Cora needed more aftercare. Did he leave her too soon and she dropped emotionally?

  Why did you look so troubled?

  That pain, why is that there?

  By the time he reached ten, he pushed away the thought. Cora had been in the lifestyle for four years. She knew what she needed and when she needed it. He never questioned her before. All the warmth drained from his body, replaced by an ice-cold reality that pieces of her were hidden from him.

  The noise in the club raised the hairs on his nape. He became all too sensitive to the activity around him. How had he failed to miss something so intense? Heat swept over his face, as did tingles.

  What else had he missed?

  Pain formed in his jaw from the clenching of his teeth. He shook his head, blinking into the present. Once Presley finished with another round of sputtered nonsense, he stated, “Time’s up.”

  She cringed. “Please don’t ask me these questions, Master Aidan.”

  “I’ve already asked the question,” he retorted. “Answer it.”

  When she lifted her head, her eyes widened at something over Aidan’s shoulder. “Oh, shit. I’m so, so dead.”

  “Problem?”

  Aidan glanced over his shoulder, discovering Dmitri. His blue eyes narrowed on his submissive. While Aidan noticed Dmitri’s concern for Presley, she wasn’t the source of Aidan’s alarm. “It’s Cora.”

  Dmitri gave Presley a quick once-over before he turned to Aidan. “What about Cora?”

  “I found her a moment ago, very upset,” he said.

  “Upset?” Dmitri asked, his posture mirroring the tension Aidan suffered. “Is everything all right?”

  “I haven’t a clue.” Aidan gestured to Presley. “Which is exactly what I’ve been trying to find out. Presley has been”—he hesitated, choosing his words carefully so as not to get the sweet Presley into trouble—“reluctant to answer.”

  “You don’t say?” Dmitri looked to Presley, and he firmed his voice. “Tell me what’s going on with Cora.”

  “I …” Presley avoided his gaze, looking to the hardwood floor. “I can’t tell you.”

  Dmitri grimaced.

  Aidan might’ve been amused that his friend appeared shell-shocked at his submissive’s response. That was, if his frustration wasn’t coiled tight inside, threatening to explode. His only focus remained on Cora and her well-being.

  “Try again, Presley,” Dmitri said in a stern voice.

  She hurried to his side and placed her hand on his forearm. “Please don’t make me tell you. I promised Cora that I wouldn’t say anything. Don’t make me break a promise to my best friend—”

  Dmitri pressed a finger against her mouth. “First, you are damn lucky, doll.” He tilted his head, his features softening. “Next time, lead with what you just said. Then I won’t have thoughts of a punishment that would not be enjoyable for either of us.” His posture loosened with a long exhale. “Second, if something is a private matter between two friends, you don’t have to tell us.”

  Color returned to Presley’s cheeks. “Thank you.” Her eyelids lowered, and she gave Aidan a quick look beneath her long lashes. “She made me promise.”

  Dmitri brushed his knuckles over her cheek and murmured, “I can appreciate that. It means you’re a loyal friend.”

  Fuck that. Aidan didn’t appreciate it, as it confirmed his worries that Cora was in trouble. If there was nothing wrong, Presley would have nothing to hide. While they were play partners, Cora was also a good friend. He protected his friends. In the club, she was his submissive, and he wanted answers. His heartbeat pounded that she had such dark emotions in her soul. It raised every Dom instinct to hunt down the source and remove it.

  Turning to Aidan, Dmitri raked a hand through his stylish blond hair. “I won’t force Presley to share. You’ll have to talk this out with Cora.”

  Aidan jerked his chin in understanding. They were Doms, not assholes, and wouldn’t make a submissive break a secret. But damn it all to hell, he’d rather be an asshole with answers than a clueless idiot.

  A loud slap of skin, followed by a sharp scream, drew his focus to the flogging scene. While he watched a Dom turn his submissive’s skin a deep shade of red, question after question raced through Aidan’s mind.

  What hurt her?

  How could he fix it?

  He didn’t appreciate the sense of uselessness he was now feeling, and he’d not sit idly by knowing she suffered. As her friend, he owed her that much. If he could somehow make whatever troubled her better, he would.

  No questions asked.

  He glanced away from the flogging and noticed Dmitri caressing the side of Presley’s cheek. She leaned in to his touch and stared at him with such devotion. A headache loomed right alongside the ache in Aidan’s body. Though it pleased him that his friend had found happiness, he also didn’t need the reminder of what being loved by a submissive looked like.

  With a chest so heavy he had to force himself to breathe, Aidan jerked his gaze away and shut his eyes. His last committed relationship happened swiftly, knocking him on his ass. Lily had been everything he’d wanted in a woman. A submissive who was spunky with a side of sweet.

  She began working for him as a law clerk when he completed college and worked in his father’s law firm. After a late night at work, a drunk driver decided to get in his car and go down the same street as Lily, ending her life.

  When she died, he died, too.

  He had lived with that pain for five years. His gut twisted, thinking that Cora may have experienced such darkness. But that was the problem. He had no idea what caused her to plummet into misery.

  Pulling him away from his thoughts, Dmitri said, “Go and find Cora. Please make sure she’s all right.” Aidan looked to them as Dmitri pressed a kiss to Presley’s forehead. “Tell her to wait in the living room for me. I want to make sure she’s not suffering sub drop and her head is in a good place before she leaves.”

  Aidan’s muscles quivered in a demand to refuse that order. Cora was his to care for, although she’d just run from him. Christ, he did not want to make this any worse. Dmitri was the better choice for that discussion, and with a long breath he pushed away the tension.

  Presley stood on her tiptoes to reach Dmitri’s lips with a soft kiss. When she lowered, she said with her sweet smile, “Thanks for understanding.” She took two steps forward before she stopped. She glanced over her shoulder and said to Aidan, “Just so you know, I don’t like that—not telling you things.”

  “I know, Presley.” He smiled in hope of comforting her. She was a loyal friend to Cora, and he respected that. “Master Dmitri’s right. It makes you a good friend, regar
dless that it might annoy me.”

  She grinned at him before she hurried off through the dungeon, almost as fast as Cora had. Aidan dropped down onto the couch and rubbed his hands over his face. When he lifted his head, Dmitri sat on the glass coffee table, resting his elbows on his legs.

  With a steady gaze on Aidan, Dmitri steepled his fingers under his chin. “I saw Cora not too long ago and she looked fine. She was red-cheeked, glossy-eyed, and satisfied.”

  Aidan nodded in agreement. “That’s how I left her.”

  Dmitri’s brows furrowed, then released. “If Cora was in danger, Presley would’ve told me. She respects her friend’s wishes, but only to a point. She wouldn’t let anything bad happen to anyone. I’m sure Cora’s okay.”

  “No, she’s not.” Aidan shook his head, shutting his eyes and remembering how she looked in that moment. “It was her eyes …” If he couldn’t get rid of that darkness he saw in her, it would haunt him. “It concerns me.”

  He opened his eyes, looking directly at Dmitri, a friend he’d been close to since they met at a public BDSM club, Chains, more than eight years ago. Their friendship had been one of the reasons Aidan came with Dmitri when he opened Club Sin. With a dry mouth, he said softly, “I’ve never seen her that way.”

  “What way?”

  Aidan glimpsed down at his brown leather boots with the scuffs on the toes. The sensual sounds around him stirred nothing but the desire to flee. He wanted to think. He craved silence. Lifting his head to Dmitri, he replied, “She’s always been so confident and so strong in her choices.”

  He loved playing with Cora for that reason. He could push her and know she wouldn’t crumble. “Tonight bore the markings of a woman with a broken heart.” His jaw clenched as he rubbed the ache in his temple. “I don’t like it.”

  “Ah, I see,” Dmitri said with a knowing twinkle in his gaze.

  “Don’t go there.” Aidan snorted, heaviness coursing through his body. “She’s my friend and I’m concerned about her.”

  Dmitri had told Aidan, more than once, that he thought something deeper lingered between Aidan and Cora. Aidan wasn’t in the mood to defend his actions. He was content in his D/s relationship with Cora.

  That conversation was old.

  “All right.” Dmitri cupped Aidan’s shoulder. The dance in his eyes had vanished, and warmth exuded in his expression. “What do you need from me?”

  The submissives giggling on the far side of the room drew Aidan’s gaze. He pondered. Should he leave this alone? Was it any of his business? A submissive didn’t need to tell him personal thoughts outside of the dungeon.

  Cora’s personal problems shouldn’t interest him.

  Yet they did.

  What kind of friend would he be to simply ignore that and let her suffer through her despair alone? Not a friend he could live with. Her look churned inside him. A swell of hot possession sent him into a flurry of need for answers, and he needed them now.

  “She’s hiding something.” Hollowness struck Aidan in his chest. “Whatever it is, it isn’t good.” His responsibility to Cora and his care of her helped make his decision an easy one. “Not that she’ll ask to play with another Dom, but I’d like to keep her under my protection until I find out her pain.”

  Dmitri smiled. “That determined, are you?”

  Aidan sank back against the couch and folded his arms. “Cora should know better, I’m a lawyer—hunting down the truth is what I do best.”

  Chapter Four

  On Saturday morning, the sun shined through Cora’s big bay window. A blur of three children rushed through Cora’s front door past her and into the living room, screaming, “Hi, Aunt Cora.”

  Cora glanced over her shoulder with a smile. The open concept of her house showed off the bright chef’s kitchen and the sleek, modern leather furniture and metal coffee table in the living room. The kids went straight to the white leather couch and the books that Cora had bought for them more than a week ago.

  “Did Mom call you?”

  Cora turned to her older sister of three years, Cassandra. While Cora had her father’s genes, Cassandra looked more like her mother, with dirty-blond hair and big brown eyes. “Yup, big ole family dinner for Dad’s birthday—two months from today.”

  Cassandra laughed, spying her children over Cora’s shoulder. “She is ridiculous, planning so far ahead.” She looked to Cora with a frown. “We’re going to have them out to our house on Wednesday. It’s our turn this week, right?”

  “I had them over last time,” Cora said, nodding. “But I don’t mind—I can again.”

  “Nah.” Her sister dismissed Cora with a wave of her hand. “Besides, it’s easier at our house for the kids. It’s kid-proofed, and they won’t break anything.”

  Cora stared at her sister, who resumed watching the kids. She chuckled, shaking her head and pushing her sister toward the front door. “Okay, go have fun. I’ll see you in a couple hours. And I’ll put dinner on my calendar.”

  Worry etched Cassandra’s eyebrows. “You’re sure you don’t mind babysitting for a bit?”

  “Of course not. The little stinkers are fun.”

  Her sister had already been back through the house despite Cora’s efforts, repeatedly kissing the kids. Finally getting Cassandra onto her front porch, she figured her five-year-old nephew, Eddie—who was the spitting image of his grandfather—would thank her. He had looked disgusted at his mother’s constant affection. “It’ll be fine,” Cora reassured her once again.

  Cassandra’s husband, John, was halfway down the drive. They’d been high school sweethearts and still seemed so happy. They lived the American dream, and even had the white picket fence. She was sure her sister was very vanilla, though they never really talked much about those things, oddly enough.

  John still looked like the football jock he’d been in high school. Tall, fit, with a baby face and soft brown eyes. “Come on, Cassandra, how often does this happen?”

  Her sister had always been the straight-A student and a worrier. In fact, Cassandra reminded Cora of her friend Presley, only without the kinky side. If her sister knew the lifestyle Cora led, she’d likely faint in pure dramatic fashion.

  Cassandra was the good girl who went to college, married, and started a family. Cora had been the adventurous one who didn’t stick to traditional ways. Things hadn’t changed all that much into adulthood. Plus, her sister was a damn control freak, which was why Cora didn’t babysit as much as she’d like to.

  Even if they were different, Cora and her sister had a great relationship. When Cora was seventeen, Cassandra’s wedding had brought them closer together with all the planning. That bond hadn’t faded. They talked weekly, and though they didn’t have much in common, Cora loved her and her family very much. She had no complaints and had wonderful memories of her childhood.

  She might have been a difficult teenager, but Cora had spunk and she’d never been ashamed of that. Perhaps she had skipped school and gotten into typical teenage trouble, but she’d come out of it with a great job and a home of her own. Apparently, she’d done everything right—she just took a different road to get there.

  Her parents were proud of her, she knew that.

  Hell, she was proud of herself.

  Cassandra once more looked to her children, who were all now crowding the porch to wave goodbye, before she lifted the bag in her hand. “Here are some toys for them to play with.”

  Before Cora could accept the bag, her nephew ripped it out of his mom’s hands. Cassandra frowned, shaking her head at her son. “Honey, be careful with those, you don’t want to break your toys.” Turning to Cora, she said, “If he gets to be too much, take them for a walk or to the park.”

  Cora placed her hand on Cassandra’s shoulder. “You’re only going for a couple hours. I can handle this. Seriously, cut the cord.”

  “Listen to your sister,” John called, now standing by their minivan, holding the passenger door open.

  Cassandra sighed
. “Call if you need anything.”

  “Will do.” Before Cassandra could say more, Cora hustled the kids back inside and shut the door. “Good grief.”

  “What does good reef mean?” her three-year-old niece, Julia, asked.

  Cora patted the top of her blond head, staring into her sparkling brown eyes that looked nearly identical to John’s. “It means your mom needs to go out more, sweetie. Go play.”

  As Julia skipped away to the bag of toys Eddie had now dumped all over the floor, Cora’s telephone rang. She grabbed the cordless phone off the glass coffee table and pressed it to her ear. “Hello.”

  “Hey,” Presley said. “I’m calling to check in after last night. Is everything all right?”

  “Yep, it’s great.” Okay. Lie.

  Presley didn’t need to know that Cora was still mulling over what happened with Aidan. Lord, she hoped he’d forget about her running out last night. After Dmitri came to talk to Cora before she left Club Sin, Presley had said that she hadn’t told Aidan anything. Not that Presley had anything to tell, so what did Cora have to worry about?

  Her secret was still hidden.

  That’s all that mattered.

  “Okay, I’m glad you’re good.” Presley hesitated. “I’m only going to ask this once, and then I’ll stop bugging you. But do I need to worry about you?”

  Cora leaned her hip against the wall, pressing the phone harder against her ear. She watched her nephew pull out magazines from the holder next to the couch and throw them up in the air. “Of course not.” She paused, feeling a pang in her heart. Presley was such a good friend, and the phone call to check in only proved that. “If something was wrong you know I would come to you.”

  “I hope you would,” Presley said softly. “So, you will, if you need to talk?”

  “You got it.” Cora waved her finger at her nephew. He grinned, unashamed, as he pulled the cushions off the couch and started to pile them up on top of one another. “Thanks for worrying about me, sweets. But I’m okay. Really.”

  “That’s good enough for me.” Presley’s voice lifted. “Any plans for the day?”