Or a part that was stolen.
That made them even more dangerous than she’d realized. She’d known they could hurt her physically, but they’d done so much worse. They’ddestroyedher resolve.
Which meant that club, and those men especially, were off limits. All the stories had taught her not to play with wolves, not to let them into her home, and they’d reminded her of why.
The ringing of a phone caught her attention, dragging her back from her musing, so Sunny jogged into her office where her cell sat on the desk.
She lifted it to her ear, not recognizing the number. “Hello?”
“Hello, Ms. Kaylor.”
The feminine voice was one Sunny wouldn’t forget, one of complete confidence and steel. It took her back to when she’d met the woman, Toya Banks, who ran Sanctuary. She’d met her in the office of Sanctuary during the week, when it was closed. Sunny had sat through the interview process that allowed her to attend the club as a guest.
Sunny swallowed hard, the same fear making it hard to talk to the woman. She was a Domme, and the sort of woman Sunny had always secretly wished she were. Sunny would have loved to have that sort of power, to walk around as if unafraid of everything. Not to mention life would have been so much easier if she were the one in charge in every relationship. She’d never have fallen prey to a man like Tanner.
It made her recall how Toya had walked, when Sunny had followed her through the empty club, to the office. Her heels had clicked against the floor, her shoulder back, chin high. It had been a level of confidence that had enthralled Sunny.
“What can I do for you?” Sunny forced out.
“I was made aware that at the end of your time in the club last night, you left through one of our quick exits. I always follow up on such cases to ensure no one hurt you or crossed your limits.”
Sunny was glad she wasn’t at the other end of the threat in Toya’s voice. She imagined a woman who didn’t mind playing roughly with a man’s goods for fun wasn’t the sort of woman she wanted to piss off.
“It wasn’t anything like that,” Sunny assured the other woman.
“I understand you went into a private room with three of our members. I won’t disclose their names, in case you don’t want that, but I am able to handle this privately if they did anything that caused you to flee. I pride myself on Sanctuary being a safe environment, and if there is a problem, I need to be made aware to keep our members safe.”
Sunny traced the desk with her thumb, guilt biting at her. The men hadn’t done anything to her that she hadn’t wanted. They’d been unfailingly careful with her, in fact. It wasn’t fair to risk their standing or reputation all because of her own hang-ups. “Really, Toya, it wasn’t like that. They were fine. They didn’t do anything wrong.”
“So why did you leave like that? Were they pressuring you into staying?”
Sunny walked around the desk so she could sit, letting out a long sigh. “I just didn’t want to face them. I guess I lost my nerve.”
Silence came through the line, and the disapproval in it made Sunny want to cower. There was nothing like the disappointment of a Dominant—it seemed it didn’t matter if they were male or female. Finally, Toya spoke, her voice gentler than it had been but no less sure. “I see. Well, I am reassured that no one broke any rules. Are you planning to return?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
“So you found what you were looking for?”
Not hardly.“Sort of,” she answered instead, drawn to be honest, since Toya had been nice. Or as nice as any Domme could be. “I just don’t think it’s the right place for me.”
“Very well,” Toya said. “Can I offer you a piece of advice?”
Sunny wanted to say no. In her experience, people who had to ask that knew the person wouldn’t like the advice. Still, she couldn’t be rude like that, not to someone who had done nothing to deserve it. “Sure.”
“I have seen many submissives walk through our doors. I’ve run Sanctuary for fifteen years, and during that time, I’ve seen everything you can imagine. I’ve seen good Doms and bad ones, good subs and bad ones, but there is one thing I’ve learned—no one gets what they want if they run from it.”
Sunny pressed her lips together, because she’d been right—Sunny didn’t want to hear that.
Thankfully, Toya didn’t expect Sunny to respond, because she continued. “I will keep your file open for Sanctuary, should you choose to return. If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”
Sunny thanked Toya before hanging up, feeling far too exposed. How was it that after so short an interview, the other woman seemed able to read Sunny so well? She preferred her privacy, where people couldn’t see the cracks she had. Then again, that was why it was never a good idea to play games with Dominants. They were far too observant.
Her phone rang again, and she sighed, figuring Toya hadn’t quite called her out enough. She answered it without looking.
Silence met her, one that made her pause. She’d gotten these calls for years, no matter her number, and theyalwaysmade her heart race.
“Hello?” she asked again, a quiver in her voice.