Page 65 of Motivating Mira
Her mouth shut with a click and her jaw tightened.
“It’s important anyone who lives and plays here at the Ranch be comfortable with what happened. If people think we let submissives’ safe words be ignored or disregarded, no one from the community will trust us. And I pride myself on Rawhide being a safe space. You know we get a lot of people here looking for a safe haven after bad experiences in the outside kink community, right?”
Mira nodded, looking a little less aggravated.
“Are you comfortable talking with me here, or would you like some privacy?” He wasn’t asking me because his obligation was to her first.
“We can go talk somewhere else.”
“No, Mira. You’re going to talk here with me just outside the door. I’m not leaving you vulnerable in a situation you aren’t fully comfortable in.”
Mira’s eyes found mine. “I trust Doctor Lake.”
“Still.” He pointed at the door and started toward it. “One holler, and I’m back in here.”
She nodded and then we both watched the door until it closed.
Before I could even open my mouth, she spoke.
“I don’t need rescuing, Wes. I’m fine. It was a slipup.” She sighed sounding a little too much like Marni. “Everyone is over it. I don’t even know how you found out.”
“You’re not fine. That woman broke a serious boundary when you were in a vulnerable state and you’re defending her?”
“We talked about it. I understand what happened and mistakes happen. People aren’t perfect and intentions matter, Wes. There was no ill intent in this situation. I’m fine.”
“Mira—”
She cut me off. “You’re just like my mother, Wes, you want to step in and take care of me because you don’t trust my judgment and that I can take care of myself.”
“No, I’m stepping in because I have your back. You don’t have to go it alone without backup. And you have nothing to prove, Mira. Not to me. Not to your mom. Not to anyone. But you’re forgetting something. Sometimes people take care of other people because they need to. You made me think about that when you told me your observation thatIneeded to be needed.”
“Master Derek?” she called and the man stepped back into the room. “Can you please tell him to leave.”
“Mira, it’s clear he cares about you.”
“I don’t need him to.” She moved, taking a step closer to Derek.
“Mira, you really got me thinking and I’m not talking about me now. I’m talking about your mom. I went to see her and?—”
“What? Why the hell would you go to see my mother?”
“Did you ever consider she needed to take care of you because she was never taken care of?”
She swallowed hard.
“Your mom was alone long before she got pregnant with you, and if it weren’t for you, she might have stayed that way. She told me you saved her.” I took a step toward her, she was as white as a sheet, and her hands were starting to shake. Master Derek gave me a warning look, and I nodded at him, letting him know I understood I was walking a fine line.
“First, when she got pregnant and keeping you forced her mother’s hand. and second, when she held on so tightly to take care of you that it gave her more than a year of life she shouldn’t have had.”
All the anger drained from her. I saw it in the way her jaw loosened, her shoulders lowered, and her knees softened.
“I have to go.”
“Why is it so wrong that I care about you?” I yelled but she was already running from the room. I wasn’t going to go after her, but Master Derek stepped in front of me anyway, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“Let her go.”
I nodded, because no matter what, I’d give her what she needed, even if that was for me to be out of her life for good.
