Page 60 of The Masquerade: Room 2

“Shut up.”

“I can’t believe you’re a daddy’s girl.”

“Is that weird or just so cliché it’s pathetic?”

“Who cares? If that’s what you want, and he’s cool with it, everyone else can fuck off, Frey. You worry way too much about everyone else and not enough about yourself.” I know she’s right, and I’m self-aware enough to know why, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

“Let’s just go and drink. I want to drown my sorrows.”

“No. We can celebrate your accomplishments. You flew solo, and your patient is alive. That’s something to be proud of. The rest will take care of itself.”

“Where shall we go?”

“Venom.” She’s a pain in the ass.

“What if he’s there? I don’t want to see him.” I’m not ready.

“If he’s there, we can go to a private room or up to the voyeur floor. We have as much right to be there as him.”

“There are a million bars in Manhattan, Cel. Pick somewhere else.”

“The only place that even comes close to Venom is Viper. The owner is also a co-owner of Venom, so Master Harrison would find out if we were there. Doms are very territorial, Frey. You may as well get used to it. Sometimes, it’s easier to hide in plain sight. At Venom, your choices are respected above all else. If you don’t want to talk to Master Harrison, he won’t come near you.”

“This is a bad idea.”

“All the best memories start with a questionable idea and a couple of drinks. You only live once.”

I’m going to regret this in the morning. “Fine. Venom it is.”

Arm in arm, we head out of the park and hail a cab to take us to the club. On the ride there, I sneak a look at the phone Sir—Dr. Harrison—gave me and pull up the calendar. I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing he’s working tonight.

There’s a sadness that creeps over me with its frozen tendrils as we pull up outside Venom. Every time I come here, I still marvel at how innocuous it seems. How do they keep such a well-hidden secret in a city like Manhattan?

“You ready?” Celest says as we shuffle out of the back seat.

“He’s not here. I’ll be fine.”

“How do you know?”

“We have a calendar we both keep our schedules on. He’s working tonight.”

“Wow. You guys are very involved in each other’s lives for people who wear masks to have sex.”

“Shut up, Cel. You love me for my quirks.”

As we enter, we smile at the security guard now that he knows my face.

“That’s not a quirk, girl. I’m just surprised.”

“Why?”

“Because Doms who train are notorious. They all act the same way, and Master Harrison was no exception before he met you.”

“In what way?” I’m suddenly worried that I’m not a proper submissive if things aren’t playing out the way it does for everyone else.

“It’s not a bad thing, Frey. Trainers don’t interact outside of the club. They keep it short and sweet. You’re trained to be someone else’s submissive, not theirs. You learn the ropes… literally,” she says with a smirk. “His kinks don’t matter. He’ll craft you into a good submissive. But the calendar and calling you by your pet name in a public setting… that’s not Master Harrison’s MO.”

“What about the phone?”

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