Clark, Rachel - Alicia's Awakening (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Rachel Clark Page B

cry like a baby.
    Shit. This sub training stuff is messing with my head.
    And then almost as if he read my mind, Doug leans over, presses a kiss to my temple, and whispers, “I’ll explain it all later.”
    I nod, very grateful for his perception, but also feeling guilty for distracting him. We’re here because a friend of his had a heart attack. The least I can do is not be a burden to him.

    * * * *

    Doug resisted the urge to pull the woman into his arms, settling for the simple touch at the back of her neck. As much as he needed her warmth right now, he had to remember that she wasn’t his to keep—especially now that Lachlan was heading home. Lachlan would see that she was a natural submissive, admit to her he was a trained Dom, and then they’d go off and live happily ever after.
    With a bit of luck Doug would never have to see either of them again.
    Because, fuck it all, he didn’t think he wanted Alicia to be happy with anyone but him. Seeing them together would just about kill him.
    He was still trying to push aside his own grief when Casey’s sister came rushing into the waiting room. “Where is she?” Karly asked frantically.
    Doug glanced around her, surprised to realize the young woman was alone. He moved away from Alicia, already missing her, nodded to Callum and Mitchell, and then turned to escort Karly to find the doctor.

Chapter Thirteen

    I don’t understand what’s going on, but even surrounded by people who obviously share the lifestyle Doug and I have been leading, I feel very alone without him. Both of the other Doms say something to their subs at almost the same time and then move away to talk to two other men who also seem to be Doms. They don’t go far—barely ten feet and still in sight—but it’s enough of a signal for their subs to turn to me.
    “I’m sorry we’re meeting this way,” the young brunette says as she holds her hand out for me to shake. “I’m Sandra, and this is Haley.” I grab her hand timidly, almost grimacing at how little of my usual self I feel right now. I shake hands all the time in my job. It shouldn’t intimidate me.
    “Alicia,” I say quietly, glancing at their Doms to make sure I’m not breaking some sort of rule I’m not yet aware of.
    Sandra follows my line of sight. “It’s okay. We’re allowed to speak. How long have you been in training?” It seems clear that they’re trying to distract themselves by learning about the new girl, but I really want to know what is happening. I don’t understand the link between a Dom and a heart attack.
    “Only a couple of weeks,” I say quickly. “Do you know what happened? Who the woman is?”
    Haley starts to cry again and I feel like the world’s biggest asshole. I’ve never been good with people, but I feel so completely out of my depth here.
    Sandra wraps an arm around Haley’s shoulders and gives her a moment to collect herself.
    “Casey is a friend from the club,” Sandra says in hushed tones. I don’t ask which club she means because I assume they’re talking about the BDSM club Doug took me to a few weeks ago. “She often plays with a Dom who enjoys asphyxiation games. He’s been warned not to. So has she, but well it seems neither of them listened.”
    I shake my head, feeling trapped and nervous because I really don’t understand any of this. It’s almost like they’re talking in code.
    “Asphyxiation games?” I whisper the question, trying to hold off the panic attack. Doug doesn’t need me losing it in a waiting room while he’s here trying to learn if a sub he trained is going to live or die.
    “Oh, honey,” Sandra says, reaching for my hand. “You really are new, aren’t you?” Her question doesn’t seem derogatory, just sympathetic. I nod as I suck on my bottom lip. Shit, what the hell has happened to me? Am I so dependent on my Dom to control my moods that I can no longer function? How the fuck am I going to do my job if I can’t be an independent human