Page 88 of Set In Stone

After he was gone, I turned back to look down the long staircase in front of me. A lump formed in my throat as I put one foot in front of the other. My heart continued to hammer loudly in my ears, roaring over the thumpingmusic.

What if he’s not evenhere?

When I reached the base of the steps, I scanned the sea of dancing bodies. If Alexander was down here, I doubted he would be among them. More than likely, he’d be near one of the bars on the other side of the room. My palms pooled with sweat as I thought about navigating through the leather clad crowd. I glanced down at my own attire. I was wearing jeans and a black fitted cotton shirt. It wasn’t leather, but at least I happened to be wearingblack.

As I began to move through the crowd, I sent another prayer to whatever god might be listening. This time, I prayed forhomogeneity.

32

alexander

Ididn’t thinkabout my mother, sister, and Hale. I wouldn’t allow myself to think about any of them. I blocked it all out, including any thoughts of Krystina. She was too normal in a world that was incredibly fucked up. I never knew normal. It was foolish for me to believe that I could have it with her. I was only lying to myself. I couldn’t pretend anymore. This is where I belonged. It was what I knew best, and it was the only place I had completecontrol.

The waitress came by with another round of bourbon. She kept her eyes averted, never once meeting mine as she set the glass down. After she walked away, I picked up the glass and slowly sipped the aged liquor. Alone in my own corner of the club, I surveyed the people in ClubO.

As always, the place was full of beautiful women, all exotic and different in their own way. I didn’t know their names, but I didn’t need to know. None of them knew my past and that’s all that mattered. They would never ask questions about my life or try to get to know me. I wouldn’t permit them too. The only thing I would allow them to ask for was mydominance.

My gaze continued to scan the room until I locked eyes with a curvy brunette nearby. I glanced down at her wrist. She was wearing a green bracelet. That meant she was free for any Dom who wanted to have her. She smiled and cast her eyes down, her way of inviting me to choose her. I expected to feel the familiar twitch of my cock that always happened when I was ready to move in for the kill. However, I felt nothing. I didn’t want that woman. In fact, I didn’t want any woman inhere.

Annoyed, I tossed back the contents of my drink and signaled the waitress for another. Too focused on getting absolutely blitzed, I didn’t notice the black-haired woman approaching my table until she was right in front of me. My eyes traveled up the length of her fishnet stockinged legs and curvaceous body. My buzzed mind barely registered her bracelet color before my gaze settled on the face of my very firstsubmissive.

“Sasha,” I said. I spoke her name in acknowledgment, but by no means was it a greeting or an invitation. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with hertonight.

“Alex, it’s good to see you.” Her voice grated on my nerves and I looked past her dismissively. “Where’s your pretty girlfriend tonight? What was her name again?Krystina?”

My head snapped to look at her. Her dyed hair fell in thin loose strands over her shoulders, and her face was painted with dark makeup. She was once beautiful, but her beauty had faded over time. Now, she looked haggard. My guess was that too many Doms and possibly too many drugs had hardened her once perfectface.

“You don’t get to speak her name. I will never hear it come from your lips again. Do you understand me?” There was an over-amplified edge of dominance to my tone, one that I knew came from being here. In thisplace.

She fixed her gaze on the floor, embodying the perfect submissive response. I raised my eyebrows when she took a step forward and lowered to herknees.

“Yes, sir,” shesaid.

I rolled myeyes.

Oh, what the fuckinghell.

“Get off the floor, Sasha. I’m not your damnmaster.”

Her hand moved to my thigh and she chanced a glance up at me. Her eyes burned with need. I recognized the look. She was hungry, desperate to be dominated. However, I also knew her. She didn’t crave me, but craved brutality. If she didn’t get it from me, she would just move on to the next availableDom.

She shifted closer to me, her fingers coming dangerously close to mygroin.

“Alex, we were good together. We could beagain.”

I looked away, not feeling a thing for the woman at my feet. She was pathetic and I wondered how I could have ever been with someone as spineless asher.

“That was a long time ago, Sasha. A very long timeago.”

“I know what you like. Let me be the one to give it to you,” shepersisted.

I glanced down at the hand that still rested on my lap. Even in my semi-drunk state, I knew I didn’t want her. Not at all. But I did want to forget. To escape. She moved to slide into the booth next to me, her leather corset feeling hard and cold against myside.

“You’re in my seat,” said a familiarvoice.

I looked up and saw Krystina hovering over the booth. A feeling of disbelief crashed over me, wondering how she tracked me here or how she managed to get through security. She looked beautiful standing there, with her hands on her hips and her eyes flashing. For a moment, it was as if everyone in the club had disappeared. All I could see wasKrystina.

Myangel.

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