Chapter 34

I knew that Heisler was a hot head, but I didn't think he'd actually make a scene in the club. He stormed over to our table, stopping in front of Cassandra.

I stood up so I wouldn't be forced to crane my neck back while looking at him. He wasn't my better, and I wasn't going to let him look down on me. Cassandra remained in her chair though Lady Brighid did not. Yeager, who followed him over, came around to stand in front of me. I ignored him. Heisler was the one I had come here to confront.

Heisler looked down at Cassandra and grabbed her pony tail to pull her head back and look at her face.

"Hey!" I barked, and reached for Heisler.

Yeager planted one of his large hands in my chest, stopping me, and detached the leash from my chest in the same move.

Heisler's eyes grew wide. "No," he said softly and then looked up at me, his rage burning hotter than before. "You bastard! This is my sister!"

Yeager turned to look and I took advantage of the distraction. I hooked my leg behind his and used his favorite stopping action to make him move. Planting my hand in his chest, I shoved with everything I had. I apparently had more than I thought because he went down hard. He coughed and caught his breath but didn't try to get up.

I looked at Heisler but Lady Brighid beat me to him. She grabbed his other wrist and gave it a slight twist. He shouted in pain and she growled at him, "Let his sub go."

Heisler gritted his teeth and looked her in the eyes. "That's my sister. He can't have her."

She twisted his wrist harder and said, "Then challenge him for her, but right now take your hands off her. You didn't ask permission."

He hung in there for a few seconds but finally relented and let her go. Lady Brighid stepped away from the table, leading him back, and then released him.

He rubbed his wrist while glaring daggers at her. That was when security came tromping in. One guy grabbed Heisler, another picked Yeager up off the floor, and someone else almost yanked me off my feet via the collar of my jacket.

In my ear, I heard Harland say, "I told you I didn't want any trouble."

Lady Brighid shook her head. "Wait," she said, holding up her hands. The security guys all stopped and looked at her. She looked from me to Heisler. "I will allow a challenge, but I will not allow any fighting. Do you both understand me?"

I was fine with that. After all, that was what I was really there for. I nodded immediately.

Heisler looked at me, and then asked, "What kind of challenge?"

She studied him for a second. "You're challenging his dominance over Cassandra. What else would I be talking about?"

He shook his head. "No, how do we settle this?"

"First, we have to have a sub willing to participate for both of you," she said and turned to my sub. "Cassandra, stand up."

I frowned because this was not what I was expecting. Cassandra, however, merely looked up at Lady Brighid without standing.

I reached for Cassandra, but Harland kept me from touching her. I looked back over my shoulder at him. I didn't want to fight if I didn't have to, but I would to defend myself and Cassandra. Keeping me from her was tantamount to hurting her.

Harland looked past me at Lady Brighid. I looked too. She nodded and he let me go. I looked at him again and said, "Thank you." If my words affected him in any way, he didn't show it.

I touched Cassandra's shoulder and said, "Do everything Lady Brighid commands you to."

She nodded and stood up.

I caught Jaime's nod of approval from the corner of my eye, but Lady Brighid offered no such expressions. Heisler had murder in his eyes as he watched me.

Lady Brighid said, "Cassandra, are you Dom Heisler's sister?"

Cassandra nodded.

"Did you come here with Dom Connors willingly?" the club owner asked.

Again Cassandra nodded.

Lady Brighid hesitated slightly before asking, "Do you have any wish to sub for your brother?"

Cassandra didn't hesitate at all and shook her head, no.

"Of course, she's not going to sub for me," Heisler barked. "Why the hell would you ask her that?"

Lady Brighid turned to him again. "That's the point of challenging his dominance over her," she said. "You want her as your sub."

The expression of disgust on his face was comical, but I kept my smile and urge to laugh to myself. He sputtered. "You think I want to ... to..." He shook his head. "I wouldn't ... I couldn't..."

Lady Brighid studied him. "Then you withdraw your challenge?"

He shook himself one last time and said, "I don't want her as my sub. I want him to let her go and to leave her the fuck alone."

"And why should he do that?" she asked, spinning on her heel to look Cassandra over. She threw a smile over her shoulder at Heisler. "She obeys him willingly and I daresay they are even compatible when having sex."

Heisler grimaced again. "The last thing I need to hear is that they're having sex."

Lady Brighid ran a finger over Cassandra's hood. "Have you and Seth been fucking?" she asked in the same sweet tone a mother would use with her daughter when talking about the girl's favorite game.

Cassandra nodded immediately but didn't elaborate.

Lady Brighid smiled and turned to Heisler again. "I can't force any Dom to release his or her sub. That's not how this works and you know it." She took a step closer to him. "There have been many times that I've considered taking your sub from you." She stood within touching distance. He didn't back away at all and she took advantage. She poked him in the stomach. "You're cruel." She poked him in the chest. "You're vulgar." She pressed her finger under his chin, forcing his head up. "You are a bastard and need to learn some manners."

He leered down at her with a half-grin. "None of that matters though," he said, fully confident in his words.

She pulled her hand away and nodded. "You're right. None of that matters." She looked back at me. "As long as you don't break my one rule while in my club."

Heisler's grin filled out. "And even then, you can't force me to give up my sub."

She met his eyes. "Just like I cannot force Dom Connors to give up his sub." She smiled and added, "Unless someone challenges his dominance over her and proves himself more compatible to the sub."

Again, Heisler frowned. "I told you, I don't want her for myself..."

She nodded. "Yes, I heard you the first time, but what I'm saying is, it's the only way I can help you. Otherwise, you'll have to live with the way things are."

I stared at her, trying to understand what she was playing at. If the challenge didn't involve wagers, like Cassandra and I had discussed at her place, then there wasn't any reason to continue with the challenge.

Before I could come to any conclusions though, Heisler's face lit up. He understood something that I didn't. "Okay, then I challenge him."

Lady Brighid turned and looked at us. "Well then, since we have a challenge but the sub in dispute is your sister, we're going to need a stand-in for her." She focused on me. "Dom Connors, did you bring another sub with you?"

I frowned because I had no idea what she was planning or how to answer her question. She didn't ask if the other sub I brought belonged to me, so I said, "Yes."

Heisler frowned for a second and then looked around, probably wondering where she was and what she looked like. Lady Brighid turned and looked back at Katrina. She noticed Heisler and said, "He's talking about your sub, Katrina."

He frowned and looked too but didn't say anything.

Lady Brighid called out to her, "Katrina, come here."

Katrina hadn't turned to watch what had happened after Heisler left the table, but she stood and walked over without waiting for Heisler to give her permission.

Heisler gritted his teeth. "You'll jump no matter who tells you to, won't you, you little slut?" He grabbed her arm when she was close enough. "From now on, you'll only take orders from me. Got it?"

She didn't look up or respond to him in any way other than to stop when he grabbed her arm. She met my eyes though and then looked at Lady Brighid, waiting patiently for her next command.

Either Heisler didn't expect her to confirm his comments or didn't realize she hadn't, either way, he looked at Lady Brighid too.

The redheaded club owner looked up at him for a second and then at Katrina. "Katrina, are you willing to sub for Dom Connors?"

Katrina nodded instantly.

I frowned harder. "I don't understand what we're supposed to do, give her contradictory orders and hope she chooses one over the other?"

Heisler looked up with a greasy smile. "What's wrong runt? Afraid she gave you a mercy fuck last night?"

"What do you know about mercy fucks, Heisler?" I shot back. "Had a few?"

His smile vanished. "You wouldn't know what it means to be a Dom if you had it tattooed to your forehead."

"And you don't know what it means to take care of your sub," I said, getting mad. "You haven't touched Katrina in weeks. You don't even talk to her unless you want something from her that has nothing to do with her being your sub. If you would simply pay attention, you'd learn what she's really like, not just as a sub, not just as a sex partner, but as a person. Stop acting like a bully with something to prove and grow up."

Music filled the room with heavy base and driving beats while everyone stood around, staring with various expressions ranging from approval to shock to outrage. Take a wild guess what Heisler's reaction was.

Heisler let go of Katrina and took a step toward me. I shifted my weight, ready for him. It never got that far. The security guard behind Heisler grabbed his arm and stopped him before he took a second step. Harland laid a hand on my shoulder too, just to be safe.

Heisler jerked his arm, trying to pull free of the guard. His eyes were locked on me and the grit of his teeth told me just how much he didn't care about Lady Brighid's rules.

The club owner stepped in front of Heisler, looking up into his face. Once he settled down enough to realize she was there, she said, "Give me a reason."

He glared at her and said, "Why the fuck are you protecting that runt?" Spittle sprayed in her face with his rage.

She never flinched, not even to clean herself. "I'm not protecting him. I'm stopping you from making a mistake you'll regret for months or years."

I could see the confusion in his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked.

She looked to the side, to another table. Heisler followed her gaze. Yeager sat in a chair with a guard next to him but he didn't look eager for a fight. He noticed everyone looking at him, shook his head, and turned away.

Lady Brighid looked at Heisler again. "When you grabbed your sister, Seth slammed Yeager to the floor so hard, he not only knocked the breath out of Yeager, but also his willingness to come to your aid. Not to mention, if you start a fight in here, I will not only have you permanently banned from my club, I'll make sure you're arrested for any number of charges I can come up with. All because you couldn't take a few sharp barbs from a new Dom who is apparently speaking the truth about your sub."

Heisler glanced at Katrina. "I don't give a fuck what he thinks about my slave. He's got my sister in a collar and a leash for Christ's sake! I can't let him do that to her."

"First, I have already confirmed that your sister came here with him of her own free will," Lady Brighid said, her own anger starting to show. "Second, Seth brought your sub here too and without a word from you, he sent her to you, exactly as he told me and Jaime he would when we realized who she was."

Heisler looked from her to me several times as she spoke but never interrupted.

Lady Brighid looked around, smoothed her hands over her latex dress, as if it needed smoothing out, looked up at Heisler again and said, in a slightly calmer tone, "Now, your challenge of dominance has been answered, quite thoroughly. Seth has not only taken what time he's spent with your sub to get to know her, but through her, he's gotten to know you too. You have one chance to turn this around or I will side in his favor."

Heisler shifted his feet and the guard let him go so he could. He looked at Lady Brighid for a moment, then Cassandra, me, and finally Katrina. He reached for her and said, "Come here."

Katrina stepped closer and he, quite gently, pulled her to him with a hand on her bare shoulder. He looked over the outfit I bought for her and then looked at me too. He smiled and turned back to Katrina. "Did you tell him who your former master was?"

She nodded.

"Did you tell him who brought you to me?"

She nodded again.

"Did you tell him about our contract?"

She started to nod, thought about it, and then said, "I mentioned it but he never asked more about it."

Heisler's greasy smile was back. "Thorough, huh? Why didn't he ask more about our contract?"

"He was more interested in what I thought about leaving you," she said.

"And... ?" he asked, like he knew there was more to her answer she was leaving out.

She glanced at me and said, "And I ... think he was too excited to think straight."

Heisler chuckled. "That's my slave." He looked my way and said. "I don't believe my sister came here tonight as his sub. I think she's posing in the hopes to upset me so much I wouldn't figure out what the runt really wants." He shook his head and chuckled. "I can't believe I almost fell for it." Then he met my eyes. "She is mine. Our contract is unbreakable."

I couldn't see Cassandra's face to know what her expression was and it was a fight for me to keep a straight face.

Lady Brighid, however, never looked our way. "You may have a contract with Katrina, but that is not the point. Seth has met your challenge of dominance."

Heisler looked down at Lady Brighid and shrugged. All of his anger was gone. I didn't understand how he shed it so easily. "What I don't get is why you even let him play this game," he said. "You're supposed to be the ultimate Dominatrix." He shook his head in disgust and added, "You never saw this coming."

I thought he not only overstepped his bounds as a guest in her club, but just committed some form of social suicide.

Lady Brighid stood there staring at him for a moment. I didn't know if it was because she was silently counting to ten or what, but when she spoke again, there was no mistaking what she said. "You are not a Dom."

There was almost a palpable shift in the room. Jaime's eyes were wide. Tony looked taken aback. Yeager shook his head like he knew it was coming. The guards were all stone-faced, but I could tell that this wasn't something Lady Brighid did often and that things could turn ugly real quick.

Katrina's reaction was stronger than any other. She looked from Lady Brighid, up to Heisler, and back again as if she didn't know what just happened. I could see panic growing in her eyes and wanted desperately to go to her, to comfort her, but I forced myself to stand still.

Heisler's greasy smile faded as Lady Brighid's words sank in. "What are you talking about?"

She nodded. "Seth was right. You are a bully."

His anger returned. "I am a Dom, and no bitch like you is going to change that."

I didn't understand why he was so adamant about being a Dom. He didn't have to be a Dom specifically. For that matter, he didn't have to be involved in the BDSM or D/s culture at all. There were plenty of people out there who weren't.

I glanced at Katrina. She was his live-in sub. Heisler had several before her but they all left of their own cognizance. The only reason Katrina hadn't was because her view was different than anyone else's. Maybe those other subs understood that he wasn't a real Dom, only Cassandra never understood and came to her own conclusions. But why? Why the need to act like a Dom?