Saving My Submission BN (14 page)

“Come on Mel, move,” Sanna urged, prodding me to move.
“We’re not going to find a good table at the reception if we don’t get through
the line.”

I swallowed tightly and stumbled from the narrow
passage, cracking my ankle on the edge of the kneeling bench beneath the pew.
Biting back a curse—because I knew swearing in church was frowned upon—I
hobbled on one foot as I reached down and massaged the zinger.

Sanna, Nick, Dylan, and James stepped into the aisle
as well.

“You okay?” James asked in concern.

“Yes, I’m fine. Just clumsy is all.”

“You can lean on me if you need to,” James offered
with a broad smile.

“Thanks, but really, I’m fine,” I assured him, hoping
I wouldn’t embarrass myself further.

Peeking over Dylan’s shoulder, I saw Joshua working
his way against the flow of guests and heading our direction. Extending his
hand, he and the other
Doms
exchanged hellos. Two
sets of eyes were intently watching James, Joshua, and me.

For the love of… can
this possibly get any more awkward?

“It’s good to see you, Master Stephen,” Sanna said
with an impish grin.

“It’s a pleasure to see you, as well, little one.”
Joshua briefly turned his attention on my sister and smiled. Then like
clockwork, his stare landed right back on me. “What a delightful surprise to
see you again, Mellie. I take it Savannah is the sister you spoke of the other
night?”

“Ah, yes.”

“You two know each other already?” James questioned
with an arch of his brows.

“Yes, we met the night before last.” Joshua nodded.

“What a coincidence. We met last night,” the other man
replied with an assessing smirk.

“Yes, but I saw her first,” Joshua added with suave
self-assurance.

Oh, good grief.
Their posturing had all the markings of an ensuing pissing match. I wasn’t
having any of it. If cussing wasn’t welcome in church, peeing on the pews to
mark their territory wouldn’t be either.

“I guess what really matters most is that we’ve all
been introduced, right?” I snapped my mouth shut before I slipped and reminded
them that I wasn’t some toy in their sandbox to fight over.

“May I accompany you to the reception?” Joshua asked
with an intrepid smile.

“Hell, yes,” Nick replied. “Please, join us.”

My body tensed.
Dammit,
Nick. He was asking
me
, not you.
By then the damage was done. I couldn’t un-invite Joshua without looking like a
heinous bitch.

“You’re going to join us too, aren’t you, James?” Nick
inquired.

God, I wanted to kick him in the shins.

“I appreciate the offer, man. But I promised I’d save
Arianna a seat. She missed the ceremony because of work, but she’s coming to
the reception.” Turning a solemn expression toward Joshua, James gave something
that resembled a ceding nod. “I guess I’ll see you guys downstairs.”
 

With a wave, James circumvented the crowd and took a
route out of the chapel via the front of the church and through an uncongested
door. As we waited to congratulate both Tony and
Leagh
,
I had time to calculate how many hours I’d be forced to sit at a table with
Joshua, deflecting his charismatic advances. I wanted to throw up. Even more
unnerving was the steady sexual throbbing in my core. Joshua slid in next to
me. A few minutes later he wrapped his arm around my waist and I tensed. Out of
the corner of my eye, I saw him turn a confused frown my way as he intently
studied me.

Do you honestly want to
shun him?

My brain cried out in a resounding ‘Yes,’ while my
body churned in a desperate ‘No.’

As we reached the back of the church, Sanna sucked in
a little gasp. Wobbling with a stutter step, she gripped Nick’s hand. Turning
an angry look toward her Masters, she huffed. “What in heaven’s name is
she
doing here?”

Craning my neck to see who’d ruffled Sanna’s ire, I
spied a curvy blonde staring at Joshua with a worried expression. This time he
tensed, then turned toward me, his face lined in concern, or maybe annoyance, I
wasn’t sure.

“I’ll be down to join you shortly,” he announced in a
bitter tone.

In four firm strides, he ate up the distance between the
pensive blonde and us. Wrapping his hand around the woman’s elbow, Joshua led
her to a corner of the chapel. Leaning in close, the woman wilted into the
crevice as Joshua’s tall body shrouded her from view.

Studying his body language closely, it wasn’t
difficult to put the puzzle pieces together. The blonde had to be his former
submissive. He clenched and unclenched his fists, finally jamming his hands
into his pants pockets. Joshua’s reaction left no doubt: he was
not
happy to see the woman. Dying to ask Sanna
a million and a half questions, I discovered she was now wedged between Nick
and Dylan as the line tapered to single-file near the open doorway. I’d have to
wait until I had my sister alone. Nearly to the portal, I caught a glimpse of
the girl, all but cowering in the corner. Tears brimmed in her eyes and she
adamantly shook her head.

“No,” she cried out in a heartfelt sob.

Don’t do that to
yourself. He’s nothing but a callous prick that doesn’t deserve your gifts.
Don’t grovel for the bastard, let him go and find a
real
Dom.

Nick glanced toward the woman’s cry and issued a
scowl. Dylan simply rolled his eyes before ushering me out of the chapel. After
giving our best to the bride and groom, we followed several others downstairs
to the reception hall.

The room was chilly, but the temperature wasn’t to
blame for my throbbing, beaded nipples. No, the man upstairs dealing with the
teary-eyed blonde was responsible for that. Focusing on the interior of the
lush hall with its hues of cream and burgundy, I smiled at its simple elegance.
Offsetting colored linens covered dozens of round tables. Fragrant centerpieces
of white calla lilies and roses surrounded by purple hydrangeas lent a classic,
formal flair to the room. No buffet tables had been erected, so I knew dinner
would be served in several courses. Great. I hadn’t calculated the time that
would take in my mental equation, upstairs. Near the dance floor, members of a
five-piece orchestra tuned their instruments as guests situated themselves at
the numerous tables.

“This looks like a good spot.” Dylan smiled. “We’re
close to the bride and groom’s table and near the dance floor.”

“You two are going to dance with me, right?” Sanna
turned an expectant look to both her men.

“Of course, kitten,” Dylan chuckled.

“Indeed we are. Have you ever known us to turn down a
chance to hold you close, precious?” Nick teased.

“Aww, Thank you, Sirs.” She beamed.

Half listening to their continued conversation, I
couldn’t keep from checking out the doors as more guests entered the reception.
Curiosity was killing me; would Joshua appear alone, or would the blond be
latched to his arm?

“What do you think, Mel?” Sanna asked.

“Huh?” I blinked. “Think about what?”

“We were talking about the club. You know… after the
reception…Tony and
Leagh’s
collaring ceremony? We
talked about it. Remember? You’re still coming with us, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” I absently replied.

Joshua would be at the club…
I’d
be at the club. Shit. I needed to back
pedal… fast.

“Um, I mean… maybe.”

“
Melllll
,” Sanna moaned.
“You can’t change your mind. You already said you’d go… twice even. Please
don’t back out on me now.”

“Sanna.” Nick frowned with a warning. “If she’s not
comfortable…”

“Sorry, Master,” she sighed dejectedly.

“No, I’m sorry, sis,” I replied forcing a smile. “Yes.
I’m going to the club with you.”

Her eyes lit up as a wide grin spread on her lips. “
Yesssss
,” she hissed, giving a tiny fist pump.

“Thanks for saving me a seat.” Joshua smiled as he
pulled out the white wooden chair and eased down, right next to me.

What the hell? There’s
four other chairs across the table he could have plopped his Dom-playing ass
into any of those, but oh, no… he had to choose that one, right? Shit.

“Everything all right?” Nick asked with a cautious
expression.

“Yeah, fine,” Joshua replied with a curt nod.

“It was a beautiful wedding, don’t you think?”
Savannah asked, rushing to expunge the sudden tension in the air.

“The only bride more beautiful will be you, kitten.”
Dylan winked as he leaned over and placed a tender kiss on Sanna’s lips.

“Oh, Master,” Sanna gushed.

“I don’t know,” Joshua began. “I think Mellie would
make a stunning bride as well.”

“Who? Me?” I gasped. He nodded and I couldn’t help but
laugh. “Oh, no. No. Marriage is not in my life plan. Not at all.”

“Really?” Joshua looked shocked. “Why not?”

“She’s allergic to monogamy,” Sanna snickered.

“I am not.” I scowled at my sister. “The typical
wifely mold doesn’t fit me. I have a business to run, and I travel all the
time. What kind of husband would want a wife that’s never home? I wouldn’t even
attempt a relationship. It would be next to impossible.”

“Nothing’s impossible,” he replied with a shrewd grin.

Thankfully, a roar of cheers and applause interrupted
the awkward conversation. Tony and
Leagh
entered the
hall, waving to the crowd; they hurried to the long, oblong table at the front
of the room. We stood and clapped in celebration while the rest of the wedding
party joined the bride and groom.

After helping
Leagh
arrange
the train of her dress, Tony picked up a microphone and tapped the mesh-covered
end, cringing as a scream of feedback squealed from the speakers.

“Oops. Thank you all for coming to share this special
day with us.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, son. It’s about damn
time,” Tony’s dad cried out from the table next to us, drawing a collective
round of laughter.

“I was waiting for the perfect woman, Dad, like you
did.” Tony flashed his father a grin before turning a love-struck gaze on
Leagh
. “And luckily, I found her.”

He bent and kissed his bride then straightened and
smirked. “Let’s eat.” Tony grinned then settled in beside
Leagh
.

A bevy of waiters and waitresses converged around the
tables, filling glasses with water and wine, and serving the first of several
courses. Throughout the commotion, Joshua’s hot stare kept me riding a
rollercoaster of anxiety. I desperately wanted to ask why he hadn’t called, but
popped a crusty piece of bread into my mouth. No matter how I tried to arrange
the words in my head, they ended up sounding like a love-sick fool. It didn’t
matter—not now—not since I’d discovered he was nothing more than a
well-polished player.

Taking a sip of water, I swallowed down the sweet
yeasty dough. “So I assume I should call you Stephen from now on?”

“Master Stephen,” he corrected with a mischievous
twinkle in his eyes.

“Of course,” I replied dryly. “Master.”

“Do you have a problem with that, little one?” He
pressed.

Clenching my teeth together, I exhaled a long, quiet
sigh. “Nope,” I replied with a sarcastic pop of my lips.

“I think maybe you do,” he smirked, before lifting the
glass of wine to his lips and taking a long swallow. “I’ll make you a deal,
Mellie. You call me Master Stephen for the rest of the day and when I pick you
up for dinner tomorrow night, you can call me by my first name.”

Dinner? With him? Oh,
hell no. Not in this lifetime.

A date with the man was entirely out of the question.
It was bad enough that I had to sit by him at the reception. No way would I
volunteer to be tangled like a fat fly in his web of deceit.

“I’d rather call you Master Stephen, without
any
strings attached,” I snapped with a forced
smile.

You’d like to call him
a whole lot of things, and not a one would be ladylike.

“Either way, we’re having dinner tomorrow night,
little one. Just you and me,” he pressed with a jovial wink.

“I’m sure you’ll be having dinner at some point
tomorrow night, but rest assured, it
won’t
be with me,” I challenged with a sarcastic sneer.

“Ah-hem,” Sanna cleared her throat and shot me a
scowl. “I need to use the ladies’ room. Why don’t you come with me?”

My sister’s ploy to get me alone and scold me was as
veiled as a Mac truck. She could lecture me all she wanted; I wasn’t going to
shuck off my armor and wilt like a hothouse flower for Sanna, her Masters,
Joshua, or anyone.

“You go ahead. I’m eating right now,” I replied with a
stern glare.

“But I need your help… to um… zip my dress back up,”
she stammered, blatantly grasping at straws.

Denying my sister any kind of help would make me look
like a cold-hearted shrew.

“Fine,” I spat.

Dropping the fork on my plate with a clatter, I stood
and followed her into the bathroom.

Once through the door, Sanna checked the two stalls,
making sure they were empty before she spun on me like a feisty tornado.
Slamming her fists on her hips, she frowned.

“Just what the hell crawled up your ass? Stephen just
asked you out on a date, and you’re acting like a total bitch. I’ve never seen
you treat anyone so rudely. What the fuck is going on?”

“Nothing,” I barked.

Shooting me a look that screamed ‘bullshit’, Sanna
arched her brows.

“We’re not discussing this. Pee and let’s get back to
the table so I can get this
craptastic
day over
with.”

“I don’t have to pee. I brought you in here to talk.”