Page 11 of Crave Me
Chapter Four
Simon
What the hell was I thinking when I insisted on being the person to take care of Chloe, to patch her up and get her home? While she dressed, I hurried down the hallway and through the club, straight to Dylan’s office.
I opened his door without knocking, and wasn’t surprised at all to see him talking with Gabby.
“Can you go keep an eye on Chloe?” I asked Gabby. I was being rude, demanding. I didn’t apologize. “I need a word with Dylan.”
“You may go,” Dylan rumbled to Gabby, his voice heavy with ire at their interruption.
She hurried out the door, not sparing me a glance while she did what I’d requested.
“Where’s the prick?”
“Jared’s been taken care of.” He flexed his hands, showing the rawness of his knuckles.
“You punched him?”
“Only enough times to get my point across. He won’t be back.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Want to explain why you were the one who rushed in to take care of her?”
“You heard her safe word.” He might not have been in the room, but all of them were monitored with video. And damn, I doubted I’d ever forget the sound of my name in Chloe’s pained scream. It still echoed in my ears.
“Doesn’t tell me anything and you know it, and since you’re the one who just barged into my office, I expect you understand why I’m asking. Already had one problem tonight, don’t need another.”
“I know her,” I admitted. “She’s Cassie little sister.”
Dylan’s eyes widened. We weren’t great friends, but we hung out occasionally, mostly just at the club. But I’d been honest from the beginning about why I was there and Cassie’s name had come up more than once.
“She going to be a problem after tonight?”
God, I hoped not. “She’s not her sister,” I replied tersely. But I’d questioned that, too. I’d been under the impression everything Cassie and I tried was consensual. Perhaps I’d pushed her too hard too fast, but we’d talked about what I wanted to do and she’d agreed to try it. All she had to do was say stop and I’d listen. I never would have expected her to begin throwing words like abuse and assault around afterward.
Would Chloe do the same after tonight? I hoped not.
At Dylan’s concerned glare, one I fully understood, I gave him more truth. “Chloe approached me months ago and asked if I’d train her.”
“And you said no.”
“Obviously.”
“And now?”
Fuck. She needed it. If she was here, she clearly wanted it. Perhaps tonight hadn’t been what she wanted, but I was still stunned she was even at Luminous. It at least meant she was open to the BDSM lifestyle. Someone needed to train her before she ended up hurt again. I’d spent six months trying to get the taste of her out of my mind. If I would have originally agreed, she never would have been hurt tonight.
I wouldn’t risk her again. I grinned at Dylan. “I think you already know the answer.”
“Not saying you should be the one to do it, Simon. Not with your history with her, but if you want, I can find someone who’d do right by her. When she joined earlier this year, she said she wanted to find her own Dom, but now I want to make sure she’s safe.”
“She came to me. I’ll train her.” The words were out before I could pull them back. For six months, I couldn’t forget the taste of her. If I put limits on our time together, I could get my fill of Chloe, and I could ensure she was trained properly without the threat of another injury.
Then, we’d go our separate ways.
“You’ll be careful.” Dylan had issued as much of a warning as a statement.
“Of course. I need to get back to her and take her home.”
He nodded, dropped his arms from his chest and placed them on his hips. I took it as a dismissal and turned, but he stopped me in my tracks. “I meant that as much for you as for her, Simon. You’ve been burned by her sister, be careful with yourself while you’re being careful with her.”
