Page 31 of Dance for Me

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Chapter Six

Somewhere down the line, he’d fucked up big time.

For a month, Boadicea had turned avoiding him into an artform. Oh, she came into the club every Friday and Saturday night as discussed, arriving ten minutes before the club opened and departing as soon as her last set on stage ended. She danced her heart out up there, so Braun couldn’t fault her for that.

The dance pole he’d asked Loki and Atticus to install for her had gone down a treat with both club members and the dancer herself...though she hadn’t told him so to his face. The look on hers when she used it, however, spoke volumes. There was a freedom to her movements when she swung herself off the stage, spinning and twisting like a gymnast to the beat of whatever music she chose.

Braun wasn’t pleased with her physical appearance. Heavy bags under her eyes, a gaunt cast to her cheeks that shouldn’t be there; with what he was paying her, she should be able to afford quality food. But he couldn’t get near enough to root out the cause of her condition.

She’d found a hidey-hole somewhere, a place she dashed off to as soon as her sets finished. He couldn’t find it for love nor money. On the rare occasion he caught her in the open and moved towards her, she slipped through the busy weekend crowd as easily as a snake in the grass, lost within seconds.

Clever little minx was playing the same game with the other Dominants as well. He knew for a fact Atticus had tried several times to snag her on her way in, just as Loki did when she left, but she always timed it so she used members as cover.

She wouldn’t go near Jasper, was putting a strain on her newly-reformed friendship with Liam by ignoring his calls and texts, but Connie had told Braun she’d seen the “nervous little mouse” as she called her, loitering near the Mistress a few times. Something had always scared her off before she gathered the courage to speak to Connie.

Maybe there was hope yet.

Braun had considered hunting her down at home, was sorely tempted to do so, but it seemed like an infringement of her privacy. He didn’t want to force her to listen to him in her own home, but goddamn her, she was pushing him that way.

Michael and Kathleen’s party had been a spectacular success, but it only served to remind Braun what he was missing. He wanted what his friends had—the dynamic, the comfort and excitement of being so in tune with his submissive he could read her body better than a book, the years of building trust and love until the bond between them became more durable than a steel cable.

He’d spent that night sulking, much to his disgust, and staying clear of barn one because he couldn’t bear to sit at the bar and watch Bodie dance. Toward the end of the night, he’d gone to catch her last set despite his determination to keep away, and parked himself in the wings.

The look in her eyes had been part terror and part longing before she’d almost thrown herself off the stage in her haste to escape.

What the fuck he’d done he didn’t know, but he assumed it had something to do with the kiss that had blown his fucking head off and tainted his senses for a week.

Tonight, the whole sorry saga was coming to a motherfucking end before he did something drastic like kidnap her.

Atticus had already pulled him up twice for being short and snappy with members, which was completely unlike him. Braun’s reputation for being patient, friendly, and approachable was widespread throughout the community.

He checked the time and nodded at Atticus who was standing in the entryway. The giant tipped his head in acknowledgement, then placed himself across the doors, feet akimbo and his arms bulging where they folded across his chest.

Members could still come in, but Bodie’s escape route was well and truly blocked. Braun knew she wouldn’t dare cross into barns two and three, not when scenes were in full swing. She was still far too uneasy with even the tame flogging and fucking scenes which occurred in here.

Over by the stage, Connie lifted her hand to signal she was ready. The Mistress had donned herself in a form-fitting red satin bustier and matching leggings. She wore a pair of tame two-inch heels in the same rich red for the occasion, claiming she could chase down a frightened subbie in them, no problem.

Loki lurked near the hallway leading to barn two and Braun’s office, with orders to block it off only if Bodie went that way. It would be a lot easier if he could smuggle her straight into his office to hash this mess out, but the way his life was going at present, easier wasn’t on his cards.

Jasper strolled up to Braun, fresh from a scene by the look of him, and accepted the glass of water Liam slid down to the bar. He sipped, casually surveying the busy Saturday night crowd. A few scenes had ended, and a range of satisfied individuals lounged around, talking with friends, while latecomers searched for play partners or their other halves.

“Are you damned sure this is how you want to deal with this, my friend?”

Braun shook his head slowly. “Not how I want to deal with it, no. But she’s not coping well, and neither am I. I’m not playing the avoidance game anymore, J. One way or another, this gets sorted tonight.”

“Okay then. I have to say, I’m a bit pissed you’re using me as your sheepdog, Braun. I like the lass, I’m not keen on scaring the shit out of her.”

Guilt gnawed at his guts. “I know, sorry. I need her to stop thinking and run. If she has a chance to think, she’ll see the trap and head for her bolt hole. With you, she shuts off and reacts.”

Jasper grunted, then rolled his shoulders as the lights on stage spotlighted the woman in question and music thudded from the speakers.

A remix of Fall Out Boy’s Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down, Braun noted. How apt.

“Guess that’s my cue,” the sadist said, setting his glass down. He rolled up his sleeves to expose his thick forearms and the tattoos of War and Pestilence in full color on either arm. Famine and Death rode his biceps in a glorious set of sleeves. “When you have her to heel, I want some time with her in exchange for this favor, Braun. She and I need to come to an understanding where she doesn’t piss herself whenever she’s near me.”

Braun nodded. “If I can catch her and tame her, she’s all yours for an hour.”

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