Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
I smiled a little to myself and moved on.
No matter how many years I’d been so heavily involved in kink, these situations never failed to put me on a roller coaster of emotions, and they happened so swiftly that most of them didn’t register until it was all over. The nervousness and worry that something might be wrong. The risks, the unknowns, the red flags. The doubts that sometimes lingered, when you just had to keep on watching to make sure…
Then the rewarding relief and joy of seeing a sub push through a discomfort or trigger.
In a world where pain was loved by many and tears could be months of pressure unleashing, we had less to go on when we calculated danger. Something that looked terrifying and upsetting could be healing and filled with satisfaction.
At the same time, something usually went sideways at events like this one when many newbies wanted to try something they’d only read about, so we had to be prepared. But sideways didn’t mean catastrophic. Nine times out of ten, it was merely a sub needing the scene to end right then and there. And we were a community that encouraged safewording freely and frequently. We believed it promoted trust and openness, not to mention it removed some of the stigma. Too many subs feared calling red because that might bruise the foundation of a dynamic, and some Tops too—they viewed it as a personal failure to hear their sub call red.
Those mind-sets needed to be crushed like a bug.
As if someone was reading my damn mind, I heard a male voice choke out yellow, and I spun around. Okay, never mind, Reese and Dean were on the case.
My heart drummed a little faster, and I thought of River. No wonder he hated these newbie events. They put us through the emotional wringer.
Ella caught up with me minutes later, and I almost snapped at her. We were busy; all DMs were on high alert, and if I couldn’t take the time to indulge in watching Nora, I sure as hell couldn’t stand here and talk to my ex.
That was all she was now. An ex. A memory. Part of my past.
“I sincerely don’t get what we have to talk about,” I told her. “But either way, now’s not the time, and—”
“Red! I’m sorry, fuck, red!”
I sucked in a breath, instantly recognizing Nora’s voice, and Ella was forgotten. I was moving through the crowd before I even noticed it. Ella called after me, saying she wanted to wait by my cabin for the event to be over, and I just—fuck, I didn’t even know. I answered on autopilot over my shoulder, like a sure, fine, whatever, before I made my way toward…it had to be Nathan’s station.
“Everyone back off,” he commanded firmly.
Gretchen swooped in to get the line of members to back away.
I snuck between a visibly worried Lane and Kit, and I had to stop myself before I crossed a line. First and foremost, Nathan was the one handling the scene, and he was squatting down in front of Nora, who looked like she’d collapsed on the floor. He was cutting the rope harness he’d put her in.
“I’m sorry,” she whimpered.
“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for, pet.” He made quick work of removing the last rope, and then he grasped her hands to feel her fingers. “Any more tingling or numbness than before?”
She sniffled. “Not really—it was the position. The rope cinched too hard around my s-shoulders and feet when I lost my footing.”
He nodded once. “You think you can stand?”
Goddamn her for putting my heart in a vise. I took a steadying breath, telling myself she didn’t look too upset, and I turned around to face the others.
“Give us more space, people,” I said.
When I turned back to Nathan and Nora, she was on her feet, and he was keeping her close.
“We’ll put that smile back on your face soon, but you gotta humor my rigger brain so I can rule out nerve damage. Okay?” While Nathan spoke, he ran his hands up and down her arms, going through with his exam. I’d seen it several times before, and he knew what he was doing. “What about here?” He traced two fingers over a spot where I could see the rope had dug in.
She wiped her cheek and shook her head. “No, Sir. It was really just those last seconds when I slipped.”
“That’s good to hear. Let’s go find a quiet place, shall we?” Nathan didn’t wait for a response, instead turning to Gretchen. “Close the station for half an hour, at least. I’ll be back later.”
“Understood, Sir.” Gretchen nodded.
Knowing the drill from here, I offered to grab an aftercare kit, and Nathan nodded in thanks.
“We’ll be on the front porch,” he said.
Good spot.
I made my way out of the club and down the hall to the nearest supply closet, where we kept the aftercare kits. Nathan undoubtedly had some stuff already, but he’d be more focused on Nora’s nerves and possibly fear. Whereas the kit’s job was to turn a frown upside down. They had funny Band-Aids, aloe, tissues, chocolate—shit like that.