Page 45 of Derek

Will narrowed his eyes and studied him for a moment. Derek made sure his face was impassive, and his hands were lightly holding the tumbler with amber liquid. Will nodded and let go.

Derek sighed in relief then moved his shoulder and rolled his neck. “Holy hell, you have a firm grip.”

Will chuckled. “It’s more about knowing where to grip a person than real strength. I used pressure points and nerve endings to control you and not strength. Sorry about that, by the way.”

“You look more smug than sorry.”

“Maybe a little.” Will’s grin transformed his face from rugged to handsome. Derek would bet he’d charmed his fair share of ladies.

“Now, tell me about Angie,” Will said.

“She’s my former babygirl, um, submissive.”

“Okay, so you’re a Dom.”

“I’m a Daddy Dom.”

Will frowned. “Can you explain that to someone new to the scene?”

“A Daddy—or Mommy—but let’s not make this explanation more complicated”—Derek’s lips twitched despite his worry for Sonja and his stress over Angie—“is the Caregiver in a Daddy Dom/Little girl relationship or DD/lg. The Little girl is a submissive with the personality of a young girl who gets guidance, dominance, and discipline from the Daddy. It’s also called ageplay.”

Will nodded during Derek’s monologue. “So, you and Angie were a couple, but you split up?”

“Yes, I was with her for almost two years. Three or four months into the relationship, I realized Angie was playing a game. It was my first full-time BDSM relationship, and it took me a while to figure her out. I guess I should have listened to my sisters.”

“What do your sisters have to do with it?” Will looked nonplussed.

“Sophia and Maya hated Angie from the get-go. They saw through her theatrics right away and tried to set me straight, but I was too smitten to listen.”

“Okay, I can believe that. In my experience, women are better at reading people than men, especially other women,” Will said. “But that doesn’t explain why your relationship lasted almost two years.”

Derek sighed and scratched the back of his head.

Will he think I’m weak if I tell him she manipulated me by threatening to harm herself?

He drew a fortifying breath, but before he could take the plunge, Molly came back.

“Sonja was here, but she left in a rush. The others didn’t see Angie’s play for you, so they were baffled but not alarmed at Sonja leaving in a hurry.”

Before she even finished speaking, Derek had his phone out, his stomach twisting with a sinking certainty.Shit.

She’d seen.

Sonja had seen Angie’s stunt, and instead of sticking around to talk to him about it, she’d bolted.

He tightened his fingers around his phone as he hit call. Voicemail.

A muscle in his jaw ticced. He called again.Come on, babygirl, pick up.

Voicemail. Again.

His pulse pounded in his ears. Derek fired off a text. Then another.

Baby, talk to me.

Where are you?

No read receipts. No response.

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