Page 28 of Under Their Protection

Max and I always were in a private room, unless it was dead in the club. Tonight, it is very busy, so we go straight to the back room.

“Do you two want a drink?” Max asks Miaand me.

“Uh… Bold Rock Green Apple, if they have it back,” I say.

“We have it on draft now,” Emma says. “I’ll grab it.”

“Are you staying, Emma?” Max asks.

“Up until the sex part, yeah,” she says, laughing. Emma unlocks the VIP room and gives Max the key before walking off to get drinks.

“Then she and I will go have some fun out on the floor,” Mia says with a grin.

“Go sit and relax. We will set up,” Max says as he kisses my temple.

“Okay,” I sigh.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Yeah, just crashing from all of the intense emotions,” I say.

“I understand,” he says. “Mia, help her relax so she doesn’t panic when we start.”

“Okay,” she says as she pulls me to sit down. When I go into these scenes with too much built-up emotion, I have a tendency to let go of all of it at once when we start which results in me scaring myself.

Mia sits me down and we focus on breathing. When Emma gets in, she locks the door behind her and comes to sit with us. Emma sees that I am overwhelmed so she helps Mia with relaxing with me and I sip my cider. She pulls my hair back so that it hangs down my back then takes her time French braiding my hair. She does a single chunky braid that starts at my hairline and flows down my back. By the time she is done, Max walks over to get me.

Max has me sit on the edge of the table that I am about to be restrained to with my legs dangling off the edge. He stands in front of me as Rowan is leaning against the table watching us.

“We are going to start the way we always do, okay?”

“Okay,” I sigh.

“I am leading and will be the one doing most of everything, but I’m going to explain things to him as we go along,” Max says. “Do you want to know what I’m using?”

“I do,” I say.

“A bull hide flogger. Nothing added and it’s not braided,” he says. “After that we are going to play with some wax.”

“That sounds like an uncomfortable pairing,” I smirk.

“You will like it, I promise,” he says as he lifts my chin. “Consent first, then he and I will get you undressed. Has your boundary changed for how much you undress?”

“Yes,” I say with a smile.

“How much?”

“I am leaving it all up to you,” I say.

“Okay,” he grins. “Ready?”

“Mhmm,” I nod. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

“What is your safe word, Nika?” heasks.

“Red.”

“Do you understand that you are putting your safety in mine and Rowan’s hands?” he asks.

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