Page 37 of Secret Submission

Dropping his hand, she pulled it back and gave him a hefty whack on the ass, hard enough to make her palm sting. He jumped, letting out a sharp cry of surprise, before staring down at her.

“Breathe,” she ordered. He had taken a breath in so he could make that noise, but now she wanted him to keep breathing.

A small but real smile played on his lips as he stared down at her.

“Yes, Mistress.”

Yup. It had settled him. That little spark of pain, the little shock, and the reminder of who was in charge. He didn’t need to worry about what was going to happen when they got inside because she had it handled.

“Good boy. Let’s go. And keep breathing.”

They got their first greeting when they walked through the door. Traci and Shonda were behind the front desk, and the moment Julie and Connor walked in, they both squealed and clapped their hands excitedly.

“Connor! Connor!” They both came around the desk, arms open, skidding to a stop in front of them as though they weren’t sure they could touch him. Laughing, Julie let go of his hand, giving them a nod, and they immediately surrounded him with their arms. She didn’t know what was better—their enthusiastic greeting or the sheer confusion on his face.

She could tell he was trying to figure out if they were just happy to see him or if they were greeting him this way because they’d heard about him being a sub. It was easy for her to see it was the latter. They were welcoming him into the group.

“Um… hi?” He was hugging them back but sent a slightly helpless look at Julie.

“Told you there was nothing to be worried about.” She smirked at him. Both Traci and Shonda looked at her, then back at him, frowns on their faces.

“You were worried?”

“About what?”

“I…” Connor hesitated.

“Ladies, we need to get inside,” Julie said firmly, cutting off his answer. That was his business if he wanted to share. She probably shouldn’t have said that in front of them, but she had wanted to point out that he was being warmly welcomed. He could share his worries later if he wanted.

Both of them instantly understood, leaning in to give Connor another hug. She wasn’t surprised when they picked up on what Connor might be worried about, even without being given an answer.

“We’re so happy for you, Connor,” Shonda said warmly.

“Happy you’re one of us!” Traci grinned up at him.

“Um… thanks?” He was still baffled, but he was smiling.

Gratitude welled in Julie. There was still the rest of the club to face, but she was pretty sure it was going to be easier for him to walk through the door now.

Though as they turned to face the stoic Master Jared standing outside the door between the lobby and the club, she felt Connor stiffen again.

“Mistress Julie,” Jared said with a nod of acknowledgment as they approached. His dark gaze shifted. “Connor.” His lips twitched. “Have a good night.”

There was something in his voice that made her wonder…

The only way to find out for sure was to walk through the door.

15

Connor

Stronghold looked like it always did inside, even though he felt different. The huge main room didn’t look much like a warehouse other than the size. A long wooden bar ran along one side of the room on the right, accompanied by high-top tables and chairs. To the left, before reaching the various doors for the main office and the locker rooms, was a small sitting section known as ‘the Lounge.’

The Lounge was where the unpartnered submissives hung out, or sometimes, they had a partner, but they were hanging out with their friends there. The bar was where the Doms hung out before and after a scene unless they were spending time with a sub. Couples—or polyam groups—usually took over the bar tables between the two spaces.

When he and Julie walked in, his gaze went to the tables because that’s where his friends were usually located. It only took him a moment to find Law, Asad, and Q—but it did take a moment because he was so used to looking for their partners with them. He didn’t see Morgan’s distinctive red or Sam’s honey blonde. Iris was shorter, and her darker hair didn’t stand out quite as much, but he was so used to seeing her by Law’s side, he didn’t see Law right away.

In fact, there were almost no submissives on that side of the room at all.

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