Page 14 of Dare to Love Again

He arrested her movement by taking her hand in his then with his head bent near, he examined her wrist already discoloring from harsh, unyielding fingers. “I’d like to wring the bastard’s neck,” he growled fiercely.

For the first time, she noticed an accent, the bending tones becoming more pronounced with his anger. She couldn’t quite place it, but Carlos had called him Finnegan. Irish, was her guess.

“I’ll be all right, but I’m glad you arrived when you did. He was persistent and when he didn’t get his way became furious.”

“Carlos has an overinflated opinion of his charm. Your refusal hurt his pride.”

Esme sniffed. “Surely he’s heard it before.”

“He’s new here, and that is a novelty all its own. He's a successful businessman who likes to boast about his wealth and connections by name-dropping whenever he can. His self-proclaimed importance tricks people into tolerating more than they should, but word will get around pretty quick.”

“He didn’t intimidate you.”

He looked up, a glint of amusement brightening his beautiful eyes. While a grin played around his very kissable-looking lips, his thumb continued to stroke her abraded skin.

“His money doesn’t impress me, and true power comes from within, not from how much your money will buy. Besides, I wouldn’t be doing my job as protector of fair-skinned submissives who bruise under harsh treatment if I let him get to me.” He brought her wrist to his lips and brushed the ring of marks forming in the shape of Carlos’ fingers with a gentle kiss. “He’ll remember you, pretty subbie, so you’ll need to keep your distance.”

Her face heated at his touch and the compliment, although she felt the latter was a bit overdone. The dom hadn’t lied with his cruel remark. There were supermodel-beautiful subs swarming the place.

“I appreciate your kind words.”

His green eyes flashed again, darkening with an emotion she couldn’t read, impatience, annoyance, anger perhaps, but his voice had the same smooth, deep quality when he replied, “It wasn’t kind, lass, but truthful. What Carlos said was bullshit.”

“My thanks for your truthful words, then, sir. And I’ll heed your warning and avoid him in the future. As for tonight, I’ve had enough and think I’ll head home.”

“Don’t let that horse’s ass run you off. There are plenty of other doms eager to play tonight.” He held up her pink ribbon. “We use these for a reason, however.”

With a practiced hand, he tied the ribbon around her throat where it belonged. His fingers brushing her skin sent a jolt of electricity coursing through her.

“Keep this on,” he ordered, when he was done. “Carlos usually sticks to masochists and subs with a taste for humiliation, who invariably wear red. Pink may have made him think twice before he approached.”

She would accept some responsibility for what happened, but not all. Carlos would have assumed she knew the rule for the games played in the dungeon, including the ribbon system. He hadn’t bothered to ask why she didn’t have one, or he could have simply asked for her color. He didn’t care, nor had he bothered to negotiate a thing, including a safeword. Esme had run into dominants like him before. They believed rules existed for everyone else except them.

“You don’t play much, do you?”

She glanced up. How had he guessed?

“I haven’t found someone to suit me yet, sir. To be honest, and I’m not only just basing this on tonight, but your club may be a little too much for me.”

“If you find the right dominant to guide you, it won’t be. I could introduce you to someone.” Aiming his gaze over her head, he searched the crowd. “Jerry is here, somewhere.”

She felt a pang in her chest that he thought nothing of passing her off to someone else, as though the possibility of him being her guide hadn’t entered his mind.

“No, please,” she rushed to say while placing her hand on his forearm. “That isn’t necessary. My sponsor is out of town. He intends to make introductions when he returns.”

“Who might that be?”

“Ryan Paxton.”

He nodded. “I heard he might be away for a while, which leaves you on your own. Something I don’t recommend on nights like tonight.” Gently, he traced the satin strip at her throat. Another surge of excitement rushed through her at his touch. “Why do I get the feeling you’re a little lost and lean more to white than pink?”

“Probably because it’s been a while since I’ve had a dom, and I’ve never been to any place like this,” she admitted, having no idea why she was telling a complete stranger things she ordinarily wouldn’t tell a close friend.

They’d just met, but she could feel the pull of his dominance, which was the opposite of the repellant vibe she got immediately from Carlos.

“Decadence is a lot to take in at first, but when the hardcore extremists come to play, it can be scary, especially for little innocents alone.” He paused, his perusal of her face sharp and assessing. “Did Paxton explain when you’re unattached your ribbon is like a collar, there to state your status clearly to everyone?”

“He did.” Her cheeks flushed as she anticipated what was coming next.

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