Page 50 of Secret Submission

“I heard Master Mitch’s dad owns it.”

“He does.” Master Gavin. Incredibly hot and with a very slight Scottish accent that made the submissives swoon. Julie had met him. Even felt a little swoony herself, though she had no desire to do the submissive thing, and he was utterly devoted to his formerly ex-wife, now wife again. “He runs a tight ship, just like Master Patrick.”

And sometimes assholes slipped through, but they all did their best. That was all they could do.

Cassidy nodded but didn’t say anything. Giving her hand a little squeeze before letting go, Julie sat back.

“You don’t have to decide anything right now,” she reminded her. “There is still time to think about it.” Probably. She hoped. But it was a big move—literally—and she didn’t want Cassidy to do something she regretted later because she felt time pressured to make a choice.

There was always the chance that Don could get hit by a bus tomorrow, though they probably wouldn’t be that lucky.

“Right.” Cassidy nodded and took another deep breath. “If I… if I did move, could I keep seeing you?”

“Of course!” Julie was touched as she suddenly realized that part of Cassidy’s hesitation was not wanting to leave Julie. Of course, it wasn’t quite the same as not wanting to leave friends behind, but it still warmed her to know she was part of Cassidy’s decision-making process. “We can do video appointments. I also won’t feel hurt if you decide you want to meet with someone in person. I can make you a list of recommendations if you decide that’s the case.”

“Okay, thank you. I’d want to stick with you for now. If I moved.”

Julie could hear the change in Cassidy’s voice just from having talked it through with her. She didn’t sound as uncertain. And the addition of “if I moved” was more of an afterthought than a caution. If Julie was a betting woman, she’d be putting all of her money on Cassidy taking the leap. She just hoped it was far enough of a leap to get the woman away from that asshole Don.

The fact she was probably going to be doing video appointments with Cassidy from now on—because she’d been forced to change her life thanks to a shitty man—made her want to scream. She hid it behind a smile for Cassidy, though. Now that Cassidy was actually looking hopeful about the future, she didn’t want to ruin that for her.

She was in a seriously bad mood, though. Maybe she should cancel her date with Connor.

20

Julie

Canceling might have been the better idea. Julie had hoped that the drive to Connor’s would help even out her emotions, and it had a little… but she was still pissed. At the world. At society. At men. Even knowing Connor was nothing like that asshole Don didn’t totally help because then she just felt guilty about subjecting him to her bad mood. He didn’t deserve that. He sure as hell hadn’t earned it.

But here she was. As much as she’d wanted to go home and just rage privately, she hadn’t wanted to cancel the date.

Especially after he’d texted her a picture of the brisket he was smoking. He’d smoked a whole brisket for her. That was expensive. And time-consuming. She would have felt so bad about canceling, knowing all the time, money, and effort he’d put into dinner with her.

I’m mad at the world, and everything I can’t do to right its wrongs didn’t seem like a good enough reason to hurt his feelings.

At the same time, she could feel how on edge she was. Connor deserved a better date. A better version of her. One that was focused on him and properly appreciative of everything he’d done for her. Not one that was distracted by how shitty the world was and how unfair it was that Dickhole Don got to run around harassing and intimidating Cassidy with impunity.

Closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths. In through her nose. Out through her mouth. In through her nose. Out through her mouth. While she did so, she pictured balling up all her negative energy, all her anger, all her frustration and sending it straight into orbit into the sun to explode in fiery demolition.

Too bad she couldn’t do the same thing to Dickhole.

Stop it. You’re ruining the exercise.

Yeah, well, sometimes the exercises didn’t help as much as she wanted them to, but it had helped a little. She felt a bit looser, a tad freer. The important thing that she needed to remember was Cassidy was safe, and she would be even safer in Pittsburgh, surrounded by an elite security team. She might even be able to find happiness. She was incredibly lucky to have such an option.

Giving herself a little shake, Julie lifted her chin and started up the walkway toward the house, taking in the details for the first time. It was a cute blue house with white shutters, one story, with a well-maintained lawn. The front of the house was lined with bushes, the kind that didn’t need much care other than the occasional trim but added to the overall picturesque quality of the house. There were two trees on either side of the house—and a little in front of it—creating a natural kind of frame. The leaves on the branches had started to turn, adding a pop of yellow and rusty orange to the scenery.

The front door, which matched the white shutters, opened before she reached it, and there was Connor, filling the doorframe behind the storm door. He raised his eyebrows at her as he pushed the storm door open and stepped to the side for her to enter.

Just seeing him made her feel a little better. So maybe she could hold it together to give him a nice date night after all. She still thought he deserved better than her current mood, but she’d do her best.

“Hi,” she said, smiling up at him and pausing in the doorway to go up on her tiptoes and collect a kiss. He bent his head down, a small brush of the lips as she passed, which left her wanting a little more.

“Hey. Everything okay?” he asked, closing the door behind her while she looked around the space.

The door opened into a great room, basically, since the whole area had an open floor plan, making the most of the square footage. It was a cozy space. To her right was a living area with a small sectional, an entertainment center and television, and two bookcases, although only one had actual books on it.

On the left was the dining area with a table with four chairs, though it could probably fit six more if a chair was placed on either end. Just past that was the kitchen, which was set up a little like a galley kitchen, but one side of the wall was open, with the counter creating an overhang. Bar stools were tucked underneath, providing another area for sitting and eating if someone didn’t want to use the table. It also doubled as prep space and a serving area.

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