Brie Discerns Master's Heart (After Graduation, #6) (2 page)

“No! I do not want my early return to interfere with your plans. You will do the interview as scheduled.”

Brie couldn’t stand the thought of Sir being alone, today of all days. “Sir, it is no—”

“Brie, you will do the interviews as planned,” he stated firmly.

She bowed her head, realizing she had offended him. “Of course, Sir.”

Tono addressed Brie. “Toriko, I will need a model for this week’s class, since you will not be available to attend. Is there someone you would recommend as your replacement?”

Brie was disappointed she would not be joining Tono’s Kinbaku class, but she knew who would make a fine stand-in. “I think Lea would do well.”

“Naturally you would suggest Lea,” Tono said with amusement. “However, I agree and can see her being a good choice. I’ll see if she has any interest.”

Dang, that Lea!
Brie thought with a grin.
She’s so going to owe me…

Tono stood up and moved to the center of the room, calling Brie to join him.

She looked into his chocolaty brown eyes with a sense of sorrow. As much as she was anxious to be with Sir, her time with Tono had been emotionally profound.

“Give me your wrist, toriko.”

Brie held up her wrist to him and watched as Tono untied the jute that signified his ownership. He turned her palm upward and kissed her wrist tenderly. “I release you.”

Brie knelt down and bowed her head. “Thank you, Tono. It was an honor to serve you.”

He put his hand on her head. “I return you to your Master’s service.”

Brie felt a physical lifting as he took his hand from her. She stood up and bowed one last time as a sign of her utmost respect for the Dom.

“Brie,” Sir called to her.

She returned to him and knelt at Sir’s feet. When his hand touched the crown of her head, a jolt of electricity coursed through her. “Stand before your Master.”

When she stood up, Brie looked into his eyes. She could see the inner struggle he was attempting to hide. “What is your pleasure, Master?”

“Gather your things. We are leaving.”

Tono handed her the small suitcase and her wrist tie. She smiled as she closed her fingers around it. She would keep it as a memento, a reminder of the lessons she had learned under his care.

“Serve your Master well,” he said with finality.

The dynamic had officially changed. “I will, Tono Nosaka. I will not forget the lessons you have taught me.”

“Good.” To Sir, he added, “If assistance is needed in any capacity, do not hesitate to call.”

Sir took his hand and shook it warmly. “I will keep that in mind, Ren. Thank you. Your help and support will not be forgotten.”

Opening the door to their apartment was the best feeling in the world! Despite having been abandoned for two weeks, his place still held the faint aroma of Sir. Brie took in the smell with relish.
Home…

“Brie, it was a long flight and I am exhausted,” he said gruffly, guiding her towards the bedroom. “Take off your clothes and lie in bed.”

She did so dutifully, wondering what he would ask of her. Sir pulled Brie into his embrace once he joined her in bed. There was no animalistic coupling, no emotional exchange—nothing. He simply fell asleep with her cradled in his arms.

It gave her great joy to be his safe haven. “I will always be that for you, Sir. Always…” she whispered passionately.

Girl Chat

L
ea gave Brie a huge hug later that afternoon, when they met outside Mary’s apartment.

“Guess who I got a call from!” Lea gushed.

Brie smiled as she started gathering her camera equipment from the car. “A Kinbaku Master?”

Lea eagerly grabbed one of the light reflectors to help her. “Yes! Oh-em-gee, Brie! I cannot believe it. Tono Nosaka called me an hour ago and asked if I would work with him. Can I just say that knowing you is the best thing that has ever happened to me?”

Brie giggled. “I’m glad you’re happy, Lea.”

“Tell me how I can repay you. I’ll do anything—just name it,” Lea exclaimed, beaming with happiness.

Since Brie’s arms were full, she asked, “How ‘bout you ring the doorbell?”

“You got it!” Lea did a graceful pirouette before ringing the bell.

Despite only having a small apartment, Mary took her sweet time to answer the door, asking before she opened it, “Who is it?” as if she wasn’t expecting them.

Lea immediately answered, “It’s the plumber. I’ve come to fix the sink.”

Mary swung the door open and looked at Lea oddly.

Brie knew the cartoon skit Lea was quoting was a favorite of hers, so she explained to Mary, “You’re supposed to say ‘who is it?’ again.”

Mary frowned, but gave in to Lea’s puppy dog look. “Fine. Who is it?”

Lea said in a louder voice, “It’s the plumber. I’ve come to fix the sink.”

Mary ignored Lea and turned back to Brie, stating in an uninterested voice, “I don’t get it.”

“You have to ask again.”

Mary didn’t even crack a smile as she repeated the question one last time.

Lea gasped out the words, “It’s the plumber… I’ve come to fix…the sink.” She grabbed her chest, twirled around several times before falling to the ground, ‘dead’.

Mary stared at her momentarily, and then said to Brie, “Come in.”

Brie giggled as she stepped over Lea’s prostrate body and entered Mary’s apartment.

Mary shut the door and locked it, leaving Lea lying outside on her doorstep. “Glad I have one less idiot to entertain.”

“Hey!” Lea yelled from outside.

Mary walked over to her sofa and sat down with a self-satisfied smile.

Lea began pounding on the door. “Let me in, guys!”

Although Brie thought it was humorous, she took pity on her friend and unlocked the door.

“Party pooper,” Mary complained.

“Look, I need both of you for this interview.”

Lea pouted. “Didn’t you think it was the least bit funny?”

“No!” Mary answered emphatically.

Lea looked at Brie for support.

“Well, it was funny the first time you did it to me. Not so much today.”

Lea grabbed her chest, twirled several times and collapsed on the floor.

“Nope, not any funnier,” Brie replied.

Lea got up in a huff. “You two have no sense of humor.”

“Trust me, Lea. It’s you, not us,” Mary stated. “There is nothing funny about that.”

“That’s because you don’t know the cartoon,” Lea said earnestly. “You see, there’s this parrot in the house. The plumber knocks on the door and the parrot asks, ‘Who is it?’ The plumber keeps answering until he finally gets so frustrated, he has a heart attack. It’s an old rerun of Electric Company I used to watch with my dad.”

“That explains it,” Mary said.

Lea looked at her questioningly. “Explains what?”

“You dad is as much of an idiot as you are.”

Lea’s face contorted into an ugly scowl as she got ready to let loose on Mary. It was the last thing Brie needed, so she piped up, “Hey, Mary, you got anything to drink?”

Mary shrugged. “Only rum and Coke.”

Brie groaned, remembering the last time she had had that particular drink was at the Kinky Goat. It brought a wave of bad memories, but it was the quickest way she knew of to relax the tension in the room. “Make it a double.”

Mary turned to Lea. “And you?”

“Make mine a triple. It’s the only way I’ll be able to stand you.”

Brie laughed, thinking back on their first outing together. Despite the passage of time, not much had really changed between the girls.

Mary took care of the drinks, which gave Brie a chance to examine Mary’s apartment. She was shocked to see a wide variety of Disney mementos, from little music boxes and posters to pillows and snow globes, all scattered throughout the room. It reminded her of a little girl’s bedroom rather than an adult’s apartment.

Brie picked up one of the snow globes and watched the glitter swirl around the little redheaded mermaid. When Mary came back with their drinks, Brie asked, “So you’re into Disney, huh?”

Mary gave her a nasty look. “Yeah. You got a problem with that?”

“No. It just isn’t something I would have expected from such a tough bitch like you.”

Mary’s expression softened as she handed Brie the drink and took the globe from her. “I love everything Disney. I’m a serious collector.”

Lea glanced around the room. “No doubt! I’d say you’re like a crazy obsessive collector.”

Before Mary could take offense, Brie held up her glass. “Here’s to the Three Musketeers—Mary the Mediocre, Lea the Lame and Brie the Beloved.”

“Brie the Bitch is more like it,” Mary snapped.

Lea rolled her eyes. “Mary, you show no spark of creativity. Clearly, it’s Brie the Butt.”

All three laughed as they clicked glasses, and Brie forced down Mary’s favorite drink. She hid her shudder as she swallowed it, and then got to work setting up the camera and light reflectors while the other two chatted. She focused on the moment instead of on Sir, who she had left at the apartment all alone. It had nearly killed her to leave him.

“Okay, my plan is to keep things the same as we’ve always done. We’re simply going to sit and talk like we used to after every session. No need to notice the camera. This is just about subbies getting together to dish.”

Mary nodded her approval. “Good. I would have punched you in the throat if you’d tried to get a close-up of a tear or something.”

Lea laughed. “Are you even capable of crying, Mary?”

“No, that ability died long ago,” she quipped, taking a sip of her drink.

It was an honest answer given lightly, but with deep significance. Brie instantly thought of the little girl Mary had once been, and her heart ached for her. This was going to be a difficult interview. She hoped Mary would be resilient enough to survive it.

The girls started off talking about silly things to break the ice, but soon the conversation turned to a serious topic when Mary brought up Brie’s time with Tono. “So…how is it living with the Master of the freakish rope tricks?”

Brie smiled. “Tono has been a wonderful Master to me.”

“Did he tie you up nice and tight and fuck you silly?” Lea asked.

“He tied me up all right, but I only got a spanking.”

Lea giggled. “A spanking? I never thought Tono had it in him.”

Mary interjected, “Of course he does. He was doing an excellent job with my spy fantasy just before I had my little ‘episode’.”

Brie suddenly felt the urge to share. “Mary, you should know that Tono became visibly upset when your breakdown was mentioned while he was watching the documentary.”

Mary closed her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Why would it surprise you that he cares about you?”

Mary pursed her lips. “The guy never knew me. Must have been a kneejerk reaction.”

Brie was offended by her brush-off of Tono. “He is a genuine person, damn it. Don’t you dare belittle his heart.”

Mary held up her hands. “Don’t get all weird on me Brie. I didn’t mean to put down Rope Freak.”

“Why do you have to make everything a joke?” Brie complained.

Mary stared at her without speaking, but then sighed deeply and answered, “I…I’m not used to it, don’t trust it.”

Lea said what Brie was thinking. “Do
not
base your opinion of the male population on your father. He was a fucked-up piece of shit.”