Her mouth closed then she let out a deep breath. “I just…shoot.”
He took pity on her. “Guessing it has something to do with Mistress Angelique, right?” He moved to the side and pointed out the Domme. She glanced over at them briefly.
Betsy stiffened then forced herself to breathe out. “Y-yes.”
“Did she say or do something to scare or intimidate you?”
“No. It’s not her. I know it’s not her. She just reminds me of someone.”
Someone who had hurt her? Fuck, he hated that he didn’t know.
“Okay, brown eyes. Angelique is a club Domme, she’s also a regular in the Littles’ room. We can’t have you on the verge of a panic attack every time you see her.”
She turned her gaze to his, her eyes were swimming with tears. He laid a hand on her shoulder and she shocked him by moving closer and leaning against him.
“I have to leave?” she whispered
“What? No, brown eyes. No one is kicking you out.”
“But if I keep reacting to her like this…”
“All we have to do is work on you disassociating Mistress Angelique from this other person in your past. Take a look at her, she’s all the way over there. What do you see about her that’s different from this other person?”
And who was this other bitch? What exactly did they do to you? And where can I find them?
Betsy remained leaning against him as she looked over at the other woman. “Her hair is longer.”
“Good. What else?”
“She dresses differently.?
?
“All right. Anything else?”
“She smiles. And it reaches her eyes. It’s real.”
“Mistress Angelique can look scary. She can be strict if necessary. She also has a very soft heart from what I’ve heard. There was another Dom here who got sick with cancer. He didn’t have enough insurance to cover all his bills and Mistress Angelique helped to raise money to help him.”
“Oh. That is kind.” She sucked in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I reacted so badly. I know that she’s not her. I just…”
“You’re in a new situation. Out of your comfort zone and feeling vulnerable. Things can affect you differently than they would otherwise.”
She stared at him in amazement. “That’s really insightful.”
“I might look like I spend my time getting drunk and partying but I do have a brain.” It came out harsher than he’d meant it to.
Something flashed across her face. Regret?
“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry. I’ll just…”
“No, fuck, I’m sorry, brown eyes. Sometimes my mouth talks before my brain catches up. I think that you’ve been such a good girl you deserve a reward.”
“A reward?”
“Yes. What would you like to do?”
He swept an arm out.