Page 95 of Breaking Free

Uh-oh. There went another uptick; hers had been a lie of omission.

Done with the subject, Axyl promptly changed it. “About that chicken? I did a sweep while you were on the phone, and we’re locked up tight. I’m free to be your sous chef if you need one.”

“Great! You’re in charge of chopping onions. It always makes me cry.”

“Me too. Don’t even think about telling anyone. You’d destroy my cultivated badass rep.”

Her head whipped around, mouth rounded in surprise. But then he winked, and she burst into laughter. She liked Axyl. It was too bad for her friend. She was missing out on something special. She remembered what Tristan had said about being afraid to try new things. That was Josie. After her drama was over, she was going to see what she could do to fix them.

SINCE TRISTAN WAS AXYL’Srelief, he escorted her to the club. As soon as they entered the lounge, her charismatic bodyguard was in high demand by doms and subs alike. Several submissives made a play for his attention, hoping to be his sub du jour. And they did it right in front of her.

As the angelic blonde in pale pink walked away—he had politely declined her while keeping the possibility open for later—Piper placed her hands on her hips and asked, seriously annoyed, “Don’t they see me standing here? How do they know I’m not with you?”

“Word is out,” he replied. “You’re Tristan’s.”

His response caught her off guard. “How did that happen? We had two scenes together.”

“The Decadence grapevine is faster than fiber-optic cable.”

“It’s also wildly inaccurate.”

A dubious look crossed Axyl’s face, but he remained silent.

“Fine, don’t believe me,” she muttered.

Another sub walked up to them—to Axyl, actually. In her early thirties, at most, with dark-auburn hair, she was pretty, although nowhere near as pretty as Josie. She lowered her gaze respectfully and softly murmured, “Good evening, Master Axyl. If you’re looking for a play partner tonight, I’m available.”

“Thank you, Amber. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’ll be in subspace—waiting to see what you decide.”

She didn’t so much as look Piper’s way. “Are you sure these women are submissive?” she asked once Amber, with the fluttering fake lashes, moved on.

“I’m one of the few single club masters left. The competition for our time is often—”

“Vicious?” she supplied.

“I was going to say spirited.”

“You don’t mind if your sub is aggressive?”

“I’d call it assertive. Amber and a few of the others learned quickly, and sometimes the hard way, whose buttons they shouldn’t push. I’m not a 24/7 dom or into high protocol. Besides, here in the lounge, things are more relaxed.”

She watched as the enormous medieval doors shut behind the redhead. Axyl was such a good guy and seemed perfect for Josie, but it looked like a dead end for both of them.

“If you’re interested in Amber, can’t you clock out? You’ve been babysitting me since early this morning.”

“You’re in my care and stuck with me until I pass you off to my relief.”

“But I’m safe here, right? Doesn’t Rossi handle the security?”

“They do, but they have other priorities,” he stated firmly, closing the topic.

A dom came up to talk to him about an upcoming meeting with people she didn’t know. Piper looked around, waiting patiently for them to be finished. When someone else joined theconversation, which seemed like it would be lengthy, she pulled on his sleeve.

He leaned down so she could speak into his ear and over the band, which had returned from break. They were good, but really loud.

“Would it be all right if I got a drink and sat at that empty table?”

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