Page 96 of Truth

She snuggled closer. We attracted some looks from passersby, but I don’t think Brianna noticed. Her eyes were closed.

Checking my watch, I knew we needed to get in line. The concert would be starting in roughly half an hour, and we needed to find Ross and Jade.

As if on cue, Ross stepped outside. He looked down the line of people and then turned in our direction. When our gazes locked, I nodded, letting him know I saw him.

“Ross is waiting for us.”

Brianna opened her eyes, looked up at me, and then glanced in the direction of the club. I knew the moment she saw him. She took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

Re-linking our arms, I guided her to where Ross was waiting. He ignored me and focused on Brianna.

“Everything all right?”

She nodded, but her entire body was rigid from her anxiety.

He looked to me for confirmation. “Perhaps getting inside and to our table will help.”

Ross seemed to agree. After saying a few words to the bouncer, I handed him our tickets and we were through the door.

The club was dark, as most clubs were. People were everywhere, and I made sure to position Brianna in front of me as we started moving through the crowd. A woman bumped into us about halfway to our table, and Brianna froze. Without overthinking it, I halted our movement and reached into my pocket. Removing the collar, I used both hands to secure it to her wrist.

Her reaction was almost immediate. With the collar around her wrist, she calmed considerably. In this instance, the low light worked to our advantage. No one around us gave any indication that they’d noticed the addition to her wardrobe. No one but Ross. As we approached the table and he turned around, he zeroed in on the piece of leather around her wrist and followed the leash up to where I had it wrapped around my hand.

I was sure he was going to say something until Jade popped up from her seat and broke the growing tension. “I’m glad you came, Anna. This is going to be so much fun.”

We all took our seats, and I positioned Brianna as close to me as possible. Ross frowned. Jade smiled knowingly.

“I guess we should introduce everyone.” Ross was still giving me the evil eye, so Jade took over the introductions.

Brianna

There were people everywhere. I’d been close to saying yellow when that lady ran into us. Everyone was so close, pushing each other. Each breath had been an effort, and then when she’d touched me, everything stopped.

The feel of leather enclosing my wrist brought a sense of comfort and security. I knew Stephan had brought the collar. I’d seen him slip it into his pocket. Maybe I should have felt awkward or embarrassed because he had me on a leash, but I didn’t. He knew what I needed, and I trusted him to do what was best.

Jade introduced us to the other people at the table while Cal sat grumpily by her side. I knew he still didn’t care for Stephan, but his reaction seemed over the top given we’d only just arrived. I didn’t understand it. Had something happened I wasn’t aware of?

“Anna, Stephan, I’d like you to meet Justin, Mandy, and Phillip.”

Stephan adjusted my hand so that it lay in his lap, just below his crotch. I knew without his saying anything that he wanted me to keep it there. “Nice to meet you.”

A man approached the table, and I leaned into Stephan. He was about as tall as Stephan, maybe a little taller. The man smiled. He didn’t seem threatening, but sometimes it was impossible to tell.

“I see your friends got here,” the man said.

“Hey, Brian.” Jade motioned to us. “This is Anna and Stephan.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Stephan held out his hand to greet Brian.

“Anyone been over to get your drink orders?”

The question was directed toward Stephan and me, but Jade answered. “No. Not yet. Everyone looks pretty busy.”

“They are, but I’ll send someone over. No matter how busy the bar gets, they still need to take care of the tables.” He glanced at his watch. “I need to get backstage and check on the band. Make sure everything’s ready to go.” Then he turned his attention to us again. “If I don’t make it back over later, it was nice meeting you.” Brian’s gaze lingered on me a little too long before he walked away from our table, and I shivered.

“I’m right here,” Stephan whispered in my ear as he tugged on the leash.

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