Page 27 of Need

My collar. Cal.

And... Daren?

Stephan’s... friend?

Before I could halt them, the tears were running down my face, and I couldn’t get them to stop. He knew him!

A sense of betrayal ran through me. Lies. Lies!

Just then, Stephan walked through the door. His eyes were watching me closely. Apparently waiting, but for what I had no idea.

I sat up and told myself to stop crying. It didn’t work. If anything, the tears came quicker and with more force.

He crossed the room, sat down on the bed, and reached out for me. I pulled away, huddling in the far corner of my bed. He looked hurt, and I felt a pain in my chest.

There was no sound, but my crying. He was watching me. I knew he wanted to touch me, but he didn’t try again. We sat for a long time just watching each other. There were times when he looked like he wanted to cry, too. I was so confused.

Finally, he broke the silence. “Brianna, I want to tell you something. Will you listen?”

There was no need to think about it. I nodded.

“It appears we have a lot to talk about, but first I think I need to explain something—or should I say—someone.” He paused as if he was gauging my reaction, but I didn’t respond at all. “Do you remember my telling you that a friend had told me about you? That he’d seen you at a party? It was Daren. The one you saw last night. He is the one who told me about you being with Ian. If not for him, I would never have known you were there most likely against your will.”

“Daren?” I said slowly. “He... told you about me?” They were the first words I’d spoken since last night.

“Yes.” He shifted a little closer. “I have no idea what happened at that party, Brianna.”

“He beat me,” I whispered.

He paused. “Explain.”

And I did. As memories of my time with Ian went, this was one of the least traumatic. At the time, I had no idea of the man’s name. If he had spoken it, I had not heard.

Ian had bound me in ropes and suspended me from two hooks in the ceiling. I remembered him talking to the man as he was working and the man, Daren, telling him that Gina had not been able to come.

My old Master told the man that it had taken a lot of work to train me. That I had been a stubborn one, but now that I was trained, he wanted to show me off.

With every word, I was reliving that night. Stephan just sat, listening as I spoke through my tears.

“Ian offered to let Daren...” I choked. I couldn’t finish what I’d been about to say.

“He offered to let Daren play with you,” he said matter-of-factly.

I shook my head so hard that it started to hurt. “He took a stick and beat me!” I screamed.

Stephan closed his eyes. “A cane.”

“You know what it was?”

His eyes opened again. He was regarding me as if I was about to bolt, which given the circumstances, was entirely possible. “Of course I do. I’m a Dominant. Canes are very common.”

“Common!” I screamed.

“Yes,” he said in a voice that was so calm it made me want to pull my hair out.

“Would you use it on me?”

He knew what I was asking. “Yes, if you would let me.”

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