Page 97 of The Masquerade: Room 2

“I’m not trying to belittle your feelings. I’m just worried about you. Having all this legal stuff added in is just another level of commitment. What are you going to do if Pierce goes to prison?”

“I’ll stand by him.”

“Are you listening to yourself? You won’t have a mentor anymore. There will be no ‘Daddy’ waiting for you at the club. No Pierce to warm your bed at night. Is that really what you want for yourself? You’ve only known each other for a few months.”

“I don’t care how hard it is for me, Cel. He’s the one.”

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent.”

“Then I’m here for you. I worry for you as my friend, but if you’re all in with Master Harrison, then I’ll support you.”

“Thank you.” We order some coffee and cake. Calories don’t matter today. I’m eating the biggest slice of carrot cake they have and a large cappuccino.

With a weight lifted off my shoulders, I relax back into the leather booth.

“How have you been, Cel?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

She hesitates just long enough to make me uncomfortable. “Are we still friends?”

“What? Of course we are.”

“Other than getting Dalton’s number, we haven’t spoken since the voyeur floor. Since I… got naked for you and touched myself. Since I kissed your breasts.”

“I…” I don’t know what to say, but the memory of that night makes me squirm in my seat.

“Did you not like it?”

“No. I did like it. I’ve just been too embarrassed to mention it. I didn’t know what to say.”

“How about, ‘Hey, Cel, you’re hot when you get yourself off.’ Or maybe, ‘Cel, the way you flicked your tongue over my nipples really turned me on.’ I’d even take, ‘That was weird, let’s never do that again.’ I would take any kind of acknowledgment at this point.”

I hang my head, knowing I’m a shit friend right now. “I’m so sorry, Cel. I know you were just doing it because I wanted to experiment. It was amazing, and I loved every second of it. You were so beautiful and free and open. I really did enjoy everything that happened.”

“I didn’t do it just because of you. I wanted it to happen too. You looked so stunning over your Daddy’s knee. Watching you being punished. Counting for you. That was hot, Frey. Trust me, I was into it for purely selfish reasons, and I’d do it again.” She takes me by surprise.

“You would?”

“If you wanted to. Yes.” It’s the first time I’ve seen Celest look anything other than one hundred percent confident.

“I don’t know how to feel about it. I can’t lose you as a friend, Cel. I know I’m not gay, and I’ve never really considered being attracted to a woman. But I can’t deny that watching you and feeling your lips on me felt good.”

“You’re overthinking it. The beauty of Venom is that there are no strict labels. Just because you watched me get off and liked it doesn’t mean your whole sexual identity is in question. You don’t have to define every little thing. We had some fun. It was hot. End of story. If you want to do it again and it happens, I’m not expecting the three of us to become a throuple. You and Master Harrison have something special. If I occasionally get off or watch you getting off, it’s fight club. What happens at V, stays at V. We’re still best friends regardless of any of that, okay?”

“Okay.” I’m so relieved. I’ve been carrying this around for weeks for no good reason. If I’d just called Celest the next day, she’d have been fine. “I’m sorry for not calling sooner.”

“It’s fine. Let’s just get back to normal. You have enough on your plate right now.”

“I wish I could do more to help Pierce. I’m doing anything and everything he wants at the club, but we haven’t really spoken about the real reason behind this whole thing.”

“Woe is you. Having to submit every night to one of the hottest Doms at Venom.” That makes me laugh. She’s not wrong. Submitting to him in the playroom isn’t exactly difficult. I relish every moment, falling into bed each night completely exhausted. We don’t talk about work, or rather, I don’t bring it up. It would feel like I’m rubbing it in his face.

“If he keeps this pace up much longer, I’m going to need a vaginal repair. I’m in a permanent state of being saddle sore.”

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