She forced a small smile, but it ended when she winced as the gurney started to move. Dex waited until the last second to let go of her hand. Even if this had happened to a stranger, his anger would have burned just as bright. No Dom should take advantage of a submissive the way Frank had. There was never any excuse.
Dex straightened and blew out a few deep breaths, hoping to regain his equilibrium before he spoke to the police. Not that he had done anything out of line, but he always liked to go into any situation clear headed and in control of himself.
Movement from down the hallway caught his attention, and he raised his head to see Brent stepping into the bright circle of light given off by the play area.
“You got to her in time.”
Something in Brent’s voice made Dex’s blood run cold. “In time?”
“Jake saw the caning and the ball gag on the monitors and knows they are on Min’s hard limits list. He watched to see if she had agreed to go beyond them. When she dropped the ribbon, and the caning only became more violent, that’s when he sent us both the alert and headed straight here. When I stepped out of the elevator, Jake met me to give me a quick rundown. God knows what could’ve happened if Frank hadn’t been stopped.”
Brent’s jaw clenched, and anger radiated from him in a nearly visible aura.
Dex understood perfectly, since he felt much the same. Even though Min was being taken care of, and Frank was in custody, adrenaline surged every time the image of Frank with the Lexan cane replayed inside his mind. “I suppose PPD wants to talk to me.”
Brent nodded. “Most likely, but Doonan saw it all on the monitors. He was in the lobby waiting to speak to me about membership when Jake noticed Frank and Min, so Jake pulled him into the security booth while he contacted us.”
Dex had known Doonan since they were both at Arizona State. They had joined the BDSM scene at about the same time, although Dex had gotten much more involved and made Dom long before the other man.
Brent cleared his throat. “Doonan can catch up with you later if he needs you. Normally I would tell you to go blow off some steam in the dojo, but after the workout you did earlier, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to put your body through that again. Catch up with me later if you’re ready to talk about either what caused that bruising workout or what just happened with Min.”
“Thanks.” Dex slapped Brent on the shoulder. “I appreciate it. I’ll be fine.”
Brent shook his head. “I know you far better than that. It’s already eating at you.”
Dex blew out a breath. He should have known hiding anything from Brent was a long shot.
Brent met his gaze for a long moment. “Why don’t you come up to my office. I was just meeting with a friend of yours when the text from Jake came in.”
“Who’s up there?”
Brent smiled. “Just come on up. It might distract you from obsessing over Min for a while.”
Dex sighed. From experience, he knew better than to try to press Brent. His friend wouldn’t tell him until he was ready. And since Dex had no idea where he would go next if he didn’t go with Brent, he nodded and followed his friend to the elevator.
But he knew that even this distraction wouldn’t keep him from dwelling on what had just happened.
Min has always been stubborn, and needed a strong Dom to make sure she didn’t go too far during scenes. The fact that she had dropped the red ribbon signaling a halt to play told him how far beyond her limits Frank had pushed her.
Min didn’t just enjoy pain, she thrived on it. Craved it, in fact. He’d never met another sub like her. Most subs enjoyed the edge of pleasure just before it turned into pain.
To Min, pleasure was pain.
That was one of the main reasons he had taken her on as a sub as soon as she’d completed submissive training. They had spent extra time exploring, to determine her soft and hard limits. He knew how easy it would be for her to get into a situation where pain was no longer pleasurable for her.
She needed careful handling by a strong, knowledgeable Dom.
Caning topped the out-of-bounds list for Min. He wondered whether Frank had talked her into trying it or had done it without her permission. The use of the ball gag, which was also outside Min’s limits, suggested the latter. It had surprised him that gags ended up on Min’s list, but she said they always made her feel helpless and like she was going to suffocate. That had been enough for Dex to move all gags off the table as a possibility with her.
“If you grind your teeth any harder, you’re going to crack your molars.” Brent glanced at Dex, his face an unreadable mask. “And you know how much you hate the dentist.”