He cupped her shoulder. “I can only imagine what you’re thinking and feeling, but don’t shut me out. Please. ”
There was a particular sadness in her reply. “I’ll try. ”
It was the best he could hope for.
Sasha stood up as he walked into the living room. “Ma- Ma-Master Covington. ”
He flinched and waved to the couch. “Please. Have a seat and call me Daniel. ”
“Can Julie stay?”
Typically, he liked to have a third person present for conversations like the one to come. However, he’d be lying to say he thought it a good idea for Julie to be that person. Regardless, she was the only one available, she had some knowledge of the lifestyle, and she was fiercely loyal to Sasha.
“Of course,” he said. “Julie, will you join us?”
By the look on her expression, Julie didn’t think it a good idea for her to be present either. That she nodded and took a seat beside her friend spoke volumes about her character and fortitude.
“First off,” he said, “I want to apologize for what you’ve been through. I feel quite protective of the group’s submissives and for something like this to happen on my watch? ‘I’m sorry’ just doesn’t convey my feelings. ”
“You weren’t there,” Sasha said. “You shouldn’t feel guilty. ”
“That’s the funny thing about guilt. It’s rarely reasonable. ”
That at least got him a half smile from Sasha. He said it intentionally to lighten the mood but also because it was true. If he knew anything about human nature, Sasha was probably dealing with her own guilt over the situation.
“The other senior members and I met with Peter earlier,” he said. “I don’t know if you’re interested in his account, but I c
an tell you if you want. ”
Sasha nodded warily. “Okay. ”
“He claims he forgot the bell. Completely unacceptable for a Dom of any experience level. It’s probably overkill, but we’ll be stressing the importance of safe words, and how to use them when playing with gags, at every group meeting, every breakout, and every play party going forward. ”
“I don’t think there’s such a thing as overkill when it comes to safe words,” Julie said. “For either party. ”
He looked to her in surprise. She’d so staunchly stressed her dislike for Peter, he wasn’t prepared to hear her even suggest Sasha shared some of the blame.
I’m proud of you, kitten.
“Agreed,” he said.
“What else did he say?” Sasha asked.
“He has no excuse for the whip and admits it was a mistake. He’d watched a few demo scenes and thought he could handle it. ”
Sasha’s expression drifted to somewhere else and her fist opened and closed repeatedly. Julie took her hand and whispered something to her with no response.
“Sasha,” he commanded as gently, but firmly, as possible. “Right here with me. Focus on me. On my words. Nothing else. ”
Something inside the wounded submissive flickered to life and her gaze focused on him. She looked surprised for a second, but then she frowned and slipped her hand out of Julie’s.
She was in a worse frame of mind than he’d thought and he decided to edit the remainder a bit.
“Peter thought you had gone into subspace. It was only after he realized you were bleeding and had gone slack in your bonds that he checked and discovered you’d passed out. ”
Julie kept her hand on Sasha’s and she whispered to her friend. Sasha nodded.
Daniel cleared his throat. “While he did the right thing by taking you to the hospital and calling me, that the scene even progressed to that point is reprehensible. And as a submissive, you should have never let the scene start in the first place. The principal group members have called for a discipline session for you both to be held at my house on Friday. ”
Sasha simply nodded, but Julie’s head jerked up in surprise. “For them both? What?”
“Sasha is dealing with the consequences of her misjudgment. I can’t imagine the group to call for any action against her. ”
“But they might?” Julie’s eyes grew big. “Are you serious?”
“It’s standard procedure for us to at least speak with the parties involved. ”
“I can’t believe—”
Sasha cut her off. “I understand. I’ll be there. ”
“And I will be, too,” Julie said.
He thought that would be a horrible idea. “Julie, I’m not sure—”
“Is there a group rule preventing my attendance?”
“No, but as your . . . ” One look in her eyes told him not to finish the sentence. If he said he could forbid her as her Dom, he had no doubt that in her current frame of mind, she would tell him where he could shove his playroom. On the other hand, he feared if she attended the session on Friday night, she might tell him the same anyway. It was a lose-lose situation no matter how he looked at it.
“No,” he said. “There’s not a group rule preventing your attendance. I would just ask you to make sure you think it’s the best idea for you to attend. ”
He’d known her to be a stubborn woman, but never had that been clearer than with her next words. “Just because something isn’t good for you doesn’t mean it isn’t good for me. ”
She was drifting farther and farther away and there was nothing he could do about it. For a moment he wished he could command her to stay by his side, but reason soon replaced that thought. He wanted her to be with him of her own free will. And if her free will took her elsewhere, he had to accept that.