Playing With Spencer by Izaia Winter

Chapter Fifteen

Spencer

Icould tell something was wrong right away. The scene between Justin and Tabby was just getting to the good part. They were deep in their roles, and the tension was building. One of them was about to snap, and… I saw Kyle reach for his earpiece out of the corner of my eye. Distracted, I pushed off the wall and turned to face him. He made eye contact with his brother across the room then both of them were in motion. Kane reached the door first with Kyle hot on his heels, their boots loud and heavy on the floor.

Justin and Tabby were so into each other that neither of them had noticed. I wasn’t surprised. They were exhibitionists and could block out anything. Several people in the crowd, however, did notice. It wasn’t often anyone saw our calm and collected dungeon monitors acting that way. But someone had used the club safeword. It was the only explanation. Most people preferred to use private safewords that wouldn’t bring the club down on them if they used it and saved ‘Unicorn’ for when things had gone seriously wrong.

I felt a shiver race down my spine. There weren’t that many people in the club. Classes took place before The Church was officially open for the night. Other than the various employees getting the club ready, everyone was here watching—

Not Turner and Niko, my brain screamed at me. The playroom!

My stricken gaze connected with Marshall’s. “Turner,” I whispered, then took off toward my sweet little.

My feet pounded against the floor. It was taking too long. I didn’t remember the club being so big. Why was it taking so long? Air burned in my lungs as I pushed myself faster. I heard noises behind me and assumed Marshall had followed but didn’t waste time looking back. All I could think about was Turner. He had to be safe. He had to be okay.

“Everything’s fine,” I said as I rounded the corner. “Turner’s fine. He’s fine.”

I could hear loud voices up ahead, and my heart sank at the sight of Niko standing outside the playroom, tears trailing down his face. He took one look at me and pointed into the room, his lips trembling.

I crashed into the room and took in the scene waiting for me. Ryan, the new dungeon monitor Foster had hired, and Carson were standing protectively beside Turner while Kyle and Kane held a struggling woman between them. I breathed a sigh of relief. Turner looked fine. Better than fine. He had a smug, little grin on his cute little face and an air of vindication surrounding him.

The woman, on the other hand, had seen better days. Her hair was a mess as she fought to free herself. I managed to catch a glimpse of her face and frowned as confusion set in. It was Tasha. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her yet, but I knew she was new and that Carson had been showing her around. What the hell was she doing in the playroom? With Turner?

Ignoring her for the moment, I walked to Turner’s side and pulled him into my arms. “Are you okay, sugar bear?”

Nodding, he folded his body into mine. From one second to the next, Turner dissolved into a heaving pile of tears. It was as if my very presence had washed away everything he’d been using to hold himself together. I tightened my hold on him and twisted our bodies to the side to shield him from the rest of the room.

“Turner baby, what’s wrong?” I asked, pressing my cheek to the top of his head as I slowly rocked him back and forth. “What happened?”

“She... she… she said mean things about you.” He lifted his head and showed me his sad expression. “It’s her.”

“Her who?” I asked, then stilled as I replayed his words. “She said mean things about me?”

Turner nodded, his bottom lips trembling. “It was awful, but I was brave. I told her I didn’t believe her. That no one believed her. She is a stranger and a liar. I got very angry,” he confessed, his chin lifting with pride as his tears slowed. “She said mean things about you when I defended you, so I told her off and then told her to leave.”

I couldn’t help but grin as pride and love filled my being. “I wish I’d been there to see it.”

He scrunched up his shoulders and giggled. “I might have said a few bad words.”

I gasped and pressed a hand to my chest. “You didn’t,” I said as if scandalized.

“And I’m not sorry.” He shook his head once very emphatically. “Not. Sorry. At. All.”

“I don’t blame you,” I replied, absolving him of any guilt he might have felt. “If someone said mean things about you, I think I would use some bad words too. What did you say?”

“I said, ‘I’m not gonna listen to a d-word thing you say.’ And then I might have called someone a… twatwaffle,” he said in a whisper. “I’m not actually sure what that one means, but I heard someone say it before and thought it sounded funny. And then,” he said while I laughed. “I told her to f’ing get out.”

“I’m so proud of you, baby.”

His smile was radiant. “But then she wouldn’t leave,” he said, getting back into his story. “She said, ‘You can’t make me.’ And I was like, “No, but I know someone who can’, so I did what you told me to do if I was ever in any trouble.”

I kissed him because he was just so damn cute in his defense of me. “You used the safeword.”

“Yep!” Turner threw his arms around me. “And you came.”

“You have got to be fucking kidding me!”

We both turned to the woman who was glaring at me in disgust. I’d been so worried about Turner and then so deliriously relieved that I’d completely forgotten about the woman who had tried so hard to ruin me.

I studied her face, trying to remember her, but there was nothing. Not even a sliver of a hint of recognition. I shook my head slowly. “I don’t even know you—”

“That’s what I said,” Turner whispered, causing Kane to look away when a smile threatened to break his tough-guy demeanor.

“—and yet you wasted so much time trying to ruin me. Why? What did I ever do to you?” I asked.

“To me? Nothing. But I know what you did to the littles,” she spat out. “Before you left.”

“And you were there?” I asked. “You saw it… this thing I supposedly did.”

“They told me,” she said defiantly. “They told me everything.”

“Who? Unless you have a name, I don’t want to hear another thing you have to say.” I’d tried so hard to defend myself when I was younger, but without someone to defend myself against, I hadn’t had a leg to stand on. I wasn’t going to go through that same thing again.

“Johnny and Little Romeo.” She threw their names out like they’d mean something to me, and they did. I couldn’t help but laugh. I was so stupid to have not made the connection.

“Spencer, are you okay?” Turner asked, tugging at my sleeve.

I shook my head at Turner. “No, I’m not. I was nineteen at the time,” I explained to my boy because I sure as shit wasn’t going to explain myself to that woman. “I was so green,” I said, still not believing I’d ever been so innocent.

“I had never met a little before, and the group I’d joined had quite a few. I asked one if he was interested, but he said no. Fine. I approached a second, but he had a tentative thing going on with someone else. And then there was the new guy. He instantly caught my eye. His name was Benny.” I couldn’t help but smile when I thought of him. “He was so adorable and sweet and cute, and I was so enamored.”

I couldn’t help but think of how different my life would have been if things hadn’t gone down the way they had. Would I have asked Benny out? Would he have said yes? Would we still be together, or would we have fizzled out by now? I’d never know.

“I came in early one day,” I said, returning to my story. “Benny didn’t like crowds. He was always leaving just as I was getting there. I walked over to the play area, and that’s when I heard them. Johnny and Romeo were going in on Benny. And this wasn’t playful teasing. It was…” I couldn’t think of a word to adequately describe it. “It was ugly.”

Tasha scoffed.

“Shut up,” Turner said to the restrained woman. “You’ve had your say.” He turned back to me and gave me a comforting smile. “What happened?”

I couldn’t help but grin at the shocked expression on Tasha’s face. Just because Turner was a little and submitted to me didn’t mean he was a doormat.

“I grabbed Benny and got him out of there,” I said. “I told him to come find me or another adult if it ever happened again. I kept him company until other people started showing up, and he wanted to leave. I approached one of the guys who organized our group, and I told him everything. He said he’d talk to Benny and then the two boys. If they didn’t give him the answers he wanted, he’d ask them to leave.” I laughed bitterly. “And wouldn’t you know it, the next day all anyone could talk about was me. No one cared about Johnny and Romeo bullying Benny after that. I should have known.”

“Johnny said you—”

“HE LIED!” I yelled, unable to listen to her defend those two. “And I thought Turner told you to shut up. Do you ever think for yourself, or do you just repeat what everyone else tells you?”

Telling myself not to engage with the woman anymore, I pulled Turner close and pressed my forehead to his. “All this time,” I said. “They made my life hell. All this pain over two brats who couldn’t tell the truth because they were in trouble.”

“If it makes you feel any better, they’re probably ugly by now.”

I snorted. “It kind of does.”

“Johnny’s got bad skin,” Turner decided. “And uh… is working on his third divorce.”

I laughed as I felt some of the negativity I’d been dealing with for weeks evaporate. “And what about Romeo? What’s he up to these days?”

“Oh, he’s in prison,” Turner said without missing a beat. “He’s got a violent streak, you know. Likes to pick on people smaller than him. Bar fight gone wrong.”

“Stop that,” Tasha ordered as she tried to take a step toward us. “Stop lying about them.”

Turner glanced at her with the calmest expression I’d ever seen and shrugged. “Prove it. See how easy it is? I can say whatever I want. Tasha doesn’t listen when submissives use safewords,” he said, repeating the nasty things she’d said about me. “Tasha doesn’t believe limits are real. A submissive is a submissive, and it’s not their place to say what a Dom can and can’t do.”

“Stop it!”

“Tasha—”

“I said stop!”

“—Doesn’t give aftercare,” Turner continued, talking over her. “She says aftercare is just another way for subs to control Doms.”

“Stop,” she begged. “Please.”

“How does it feel?” Turner asked, his eyes blazing with fury and tears. “You and your stupid little friends made the man I love feel ashamed of himself, and I will never forgive you for that. I never want to see your face again.”

It was at that point Carson finally stepped in and broke up the party. “And you won’t have to,” he said to my little. “Tasha, you are no longer allowed in my club. Kyle and Kane will escort you to the lobby where Marcus is waiting to take your picture. After that, they will show you to the door.”

“I thought we were friends! Why are you listening to them? They’re lying! Can’t you see they’re lying!?” she screamed desperately as the two large men began dragging her from the room. “You can’t do this!”

“I can do whatever I want, and we are not friends,” he replied calmly. “I have the right to refuse you service. A right I am exercising. If anyone around here ever sees you again, we’ll be involving the police.”

“Well,” Turner said as we both watched Tasha disappear into the crowd of silent onlookers. “That was more excitement than I was expecting. I think I’m ready for you to take me home now.”

“Yours or mine?” I asked, still a bit shocked by everything that had happened.

“Yours,” he replied. “You look like you need to bake something.”

“Any requests?” I asked, already making a list in my head as I helped him clean up his puzzle. Turner was right. Baking was my comfort, and I needed it after that scene.

Turner’s eyes grew large as he contemplated his options. “Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, chocolate sprinkles, and a brownie on top.”

I pulled him close and kissed his cute nose. “After the way you defended me, I’ll even throw in some cake pops.”

“Yes, I’ll take those, too.”

Ready to put all the drama behind me, I took Turner’s hand in mine and led him toward the door. “Turner, you can have whatever you want.”