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“I’ve made plans for the evening. I’ll be out late and can come pick you up when I’m done.”

“What’s her name?” Carrie asked in a sing-song tone. There was a commotion in the background, and Carrie giggled. “I should get back to work. Thanks for the heads up, but I’ll crash here, anyway.”

“Don’t leave the building. And lay off the coffee.” The command was natural. He thought about apologizing, but she drank way too much caffeine and if she left the building, he would be tempted to chain her to her desk. So he ended the call and climbed into the driver’s seat.

He pulled into traffic and headed for Gage’s house. While he drove, he allowed his mind to wander. It landed on a picture of Carrie strapped to a cross. He doubted she was submissive enough to let him do such a thing. Then again, she’d given in to his demand that he be in charge on the roof, so maybe he was wrong. “Get your mind off her, Peter.” He was annoyed with himself for his lack of mental control.

When he pulled up to Gage’s house, he looked around to see if he recognized any of the cars. Edith’s two door sports car sat in the driveway, which meant she was one of the first few to arrive. Evie’s vehicle was nowhere in sight, but she could have ridden with someone else. Hopefully, it wasn’t a boyfriend. Evie was fun to play with. Peter cursed. He needed to manage his expectations before he went in or the night would go to hell.

A young girl in a skimpy mini skirt and red tank answered his knock.

He gave her a big smile when she opened the door wider.

“Have you been here before?” she asked, picking up a clipboard.

“I have. I’m Peter M. It’s been a few months.”

“I’m Allie. Welcome back then.” She found his name and set the list down. “Everyone is in the backyard watching Master Reggie beat the crap out of some new girl. He brought a new toy.”

Peter winced. He didn’t like hearing Reggie and ‘new girl’ in the same sentence. He was a heavy sadist and new girls needed a slower introduction than him.

Since it was just his opinion, he voiced none of that. Not his place. Instead, he made his way down the hall to the living room where there was a door to the backyard. His eyes scanned the room, looking for Gage. The tall Texan didn’t appear to be in the main room, so he opened the backyard door and stepped out. Two steps onto the deck and he stopped dead in his tracks.

“What the fuck?” Backing into a corner, he watched from the shadows. A very naked Carrie Davenport was attached to a frame, and sure enough, Reggie was beating the hell out of her. Carrie was loving every minute. This was about to get awkward.

He glanced at the door, contemplating leaving just as Reggie landed a brutal strike across her ass. Carrie jumped forward, letting out a howl that morphed into a giggle. Judging by the way her back, legs, and ass were marked, she had been there for a while, and this certainly didn’t seem like her first time. But he had never seen her here before.

Just as he was about to head back in, Edith sidled up to him. “Hey handsome. Nice of you to join us.”

Peter grinned and tossed an arm around her shoulders. “Hey Edith. Sorry I’ve been gone. You know how work is for me. Who’s the girl with Reggie?” he asked, trying to sound casual.

“Why? You interested?” She wiggled her eyebrows and humped his hip with hers.

“Just don’t remember seeing her here before.”

“So observant. No wonder they pay you the big bucks.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “You’re right. This is her first party here. Normally she comes to the parties at my place but was busy last Friday, so I picked her up from work tonight and brought her with me. She’s been helping us with the plans for Exposure.”

Peter might have smirked if he weren’t angry. Last Friday was when he’d had her detained. His eyes went back and forth from Carrie to Edith.

“Next time she asks you to pick her up, don’t. It’s not safe.”

Edith opened her mouth to protest, but he put a finger to her lips. “Don’t ask. I can’t tell you. Just don’t fucking pick her up any more. She needs a bodyguard.”

Carrie hollered a string of curse words that would make the men on his roster blush, and Reggie let out a belly laugh.

“I don’t hear your safeword in there. I guess I’ll keep going.”

Peter’s fists clenched when the cane struck Carrie again. Why was this bothering him so much? He didn’t have a problem with how any other Dom played with their subs. All he knew was, he didn’t like watching Reggie beat Carrie this way, even if she was enjoying it—and she clearly was.

Peter played rough with his submissives, but he didn’t consider himself a sadist. Not like that, anyway.

Despite the way the sight enraged him, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the scene unfolding. Edith shook her head and slipped back into the house. “We’ll talk more about this later. You don’t get to just talk to me like that with no explanation.”

Peter was only half paying attention as he watched Reggie raise the cane again. Carrie shifted and turned to face the crowd that had gathered. Her eyes were dancing with glee as she scanned the audience. So, she was an exhibitionist too. As he observed, he felt the energy shift around her when she made direct eye contact with him. He tried to lower his head to keep her from recognizing him, but it was too late.

11

CARRIE’S heart dropped and she couldn’t breathe as she locked eyes with Peter. What the fuck was he doing here?

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