Page 99 of Truth

I’d caught sight of Jade’s brother a few times throughout the night. He floated from one side of the club to the other, making sure everything was as it should be, but it was done in a way that wasn’t intrusive. Jade was right. Brian did appear to be good at his job.

We talked some more about the band. Brianna listened for the most part. The one time she spoke up was when Mandy asked her if she’d had a favorite song. “Forever,” Brianna mumbled, before blushing and hiding her face against my neck.

The song was one of the last the band had played before taking their break. It was a love song about unlikely lovers. Brianna was a romantic. I wasn’t surprised with her choice.

Phillip and Justin returned to the table, followed by Ross, who set a glass filled with dark liquid in front of Brianna. “I considered getting you something stronger, but I figured he wouldn’t let you have it anyway if I did.”

I quirked one eyebrow up at him in question.

“Relax. It’s only soda.”

He acted as if I were a tyrant. Jade must have gotten the same vibe from his statement that I had, because I saw her elbow him in the side in response. I smiled.

I handed Brianna her new drink. She looked up at me, uncertain. I nodded, motioning toward the glass, letting her know it was all right.

The band retook the stage not long after Ross and his friends returned to the table, and our attention once again was on the performers. Brianna leaned back against me, her soda still in her hand, and listened to the music.

It was ten forty-five by the time the band called it quits for the night. For the second half of their act, they’d mixed it up with some cover songs and originals. To be honest, if I hadn’t recognized the cover songs, I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. They were that good.

Brianna finished off her soda, and we stood to leave. I turned to Phillip, Justin, and Mandy. “It was nice meeting you.”

“Same.”

“Yeah. We should get together again sometime.”

I let the comment go without responding. Without speaking to Brianna first, I wouldn’t make any type of commitments for the future. When it came to her, everything was one step at a time. She needed to socialize, yes, but not at the expense of her well-being. She also needed to get to the point where the leash wasn’t necessary. It was one thing to have a submissive on a leash at a party. It was another to have to use it so Brianna felt safe enough to be in a crowd of people. I wasn’t sure of the best way to accomplish that, but it was something we needed to work on.

Jade moved around the table toward us and hugged Brianna. “If I don’t see you before Monday, happy birthday.”

“Thanks.” Brianna looked down, embarrassed.

Then it was Ross’s turn. “I got you something for your birthday. I was hoping I could stop by on Monday and bring it to you.”

She nodded.

Ross smiled. “Good.”

Outside, the temperature had dropped, but it felt good after being inside the warm club for the last four hours. We found our car, and I opened the door for Brianna. Once we were both inside, I reached to remove the leather collar.

“You did well tonight. I’m proud of you.”

She smiled.

I was grateful we didn’t have to be up early the next morning, because I had no intention of allowing Brianna to sleep anytime soon. We needed to shower, talk, and the desire to be inside her after having her so close tonight and keeping my hands to myself was increasing with each passing moment. Maybe I could accomplish two things at one time.

Leading her into the bedroom, I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her into my lap. “How did you feel tonight being around all those people?”

“At first it was scary. When that lady...” A visible tremor flowed through her body.

“The leash and collar helped.”

“Yes.” She paused. “Thank you.”

I lifted her hair and pushed it over onto one shoulder. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. I knew tonight was going to be challenging, but you did so well.”

Kissing a line up her shoulder and around to the back of her neck, I began unzipping her dress. The clingy fabric slowly pulled away from her skin, revealing the pale perfection beneath.

“Tell me what your favorite part of the evening was.”

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