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O h, this had been a mistake.

His head wasn’t on right.

Nope. It was turned around and upside down. And what he was watching right now wasn’t helping matters at all.

“Didn’t think I’d see you here tonight,” Saxon said as he walked over to where Renard was leaning against the wall of the club.

Renard just grunted back. He didn’t have time for social niceties.

Like forming actual words.

His attention was on the scene across from him.

“You know that people have started to notice you standing here, staring at her.”

Another grunt.

What the fuck did he care what people thought?

“I know you don’t actually care about what others think, but I’m not sure that she’ll appreciate you standing here, glowering at her like a grouchy rabid bear.”

That’s what he felt like, though.

“You cannot interfere with a scene.”

Renard turned to look at him. “A scene? How is that a scene? It’s a clusterfuck.”

Saxon actually winced as they heard Opal telling the Dom she was scening with what he should be doing.

The guy had to be new because within moments he was bumbling around under her criticism and trying to please her.

“Fuck,” Saxon muttered. “I’m going to have to stop this.”

“Nope. You don’t have to stop this.”

“She’s Topping from the bottom. Soon, she’ll have him strapped to the chair and taking a paddle to his ass. Not only do I have to stop this before he becomes truly humiliated, but I’m gonna have to punish her.”

An actual growl escaped him.

Hmm. He was starting to sound like a rabid bear now.

“No, you won’t.”

“No? You don’t think she should be punished?” Saxon asked, sounding surprised.

“I don’t think she should be punished by you .” And he wasn’t completely convinced that she should be punished. It was obvious that this guy simply couldn’t handle her.

It was a bad pairing all the way around.

“Who the fuck okayed this scene?” he snapped. “It’s obvious he doesn’t have the balls or the experience to handle what she needs.”

“How would you know what she needs?” Saxon asked.

“Know it better than this dick. He’s the one letting her run rings around him. Maybe he should be punished.”

He stepped forward, hearing Saxon swear behind him.

“This is not your job,” Saxon warned. “She is not your sub. You aren’t even her guardian. This is my club and I’ll enforce the rules.”

Screw that.

No one was touching her except for him.

As he reached the place where they were scening, he noted that the Dominant she was with was starting to realize the predicament he’d gotten himself into.

However, instead of pulling out of the scene and ending it, it seemed he’d decided to get mad.

Idiot.

When you were in charge of a scene, of a sub, you had to maintain control of yourself.

Renard knew that.

Most of the time, he said what he liked, did what he wanted, and didn’t much care what people thought. But the only time he truly felt in control of himself was when he was in control of someone else.

The weight of that responsibility helped him, it gave him focus, a reason to keep calm.

But this dick didn’t seem to know how to keep himself under control. How had he gotten through the screening process?

“Shit,” Saxon said and Renard knew he’d seen it too.

This guy had noticed people watching, and that they weren’t impressed by what they were seeing. So he’d decided he needed to save face.

“Well? What are you going to, Principal Dean?” she challenged.

It was a school-girl scene with Opal dressed in a short, pleated skirt and a white top that she’d tied at the waist. She was wearing a pair of high-heeled black shoes and her hair had been secured into two ponytails.

She looked fucking hot and his dick had gotten hard as soon as he’d caught sight of her.

And it hadn’t calmed down since.

Suddenly, the asshole grabbed her arm and turned her toward the desk. It didn’t look like he did it harshly, but Renard still felt a burst of anger. He quickened his pace as she cried out.

What. The. Fuck.

Suddenly, he was seeing red.

That bastard hurt her!

“Renard! Stop!” Saxon yelled, getting between him and the soon-to-be-dead-asshole. “Leo, get over here! Get Dean to my office. Renard, you have to calm down. Fuck, Opal. Are you hurt?”

Was she hurt? She better fucking not be.

Renard shrugged off Saxon’s hold as one of the monitors led Dean away. He rushed toward Opal who was leaning on the desk, her face pale and breathing shallow.

“What did he do? Where does it hurt? I’m gonna fucking kill him.”

“No one is killing anyone,” Saxon said calmly. “Opal, what happened?”

“I’m fine,” she said.

Renard cupped her face between his hands, gently tilting her head back. He was careful to only touch her face, unsure of what was hurting.

He leaned in close to her. “You can lie to Saxon, to the Malones, to the whole fucking world if you want, but you do not lie to me. What. Hurts?”

She stared at him, her lips a deep, dark red. Damn, he wanted to kiss her mouth.

You can’t.

She isn’t for you. Remember? You have plans.

Only his plans didn’t seem so important when he was around this fucking gorgeous, spiky, amazing woman.

“Well?” he demanded.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to see that dick wasn’t the right match for you and I don’t know why no one stopped this. Now, where are you hurting? And do not lie.”

“It’s my back,” she told him in a pained voice.

That didn’t make much sense. He’d grabbed her arm to move her, but it hadn’t been a sharp movement. How had it hurt her back?

“He hurt your back? Do you need the doc?”

“He didn’t hurt it,” she told him. “I mean he hurt it, but I hurt it last night. He simply upped the pain level by grabbing me.”

“And did you tell him about that?” Saxon asked in a serious voice.

“That would be a no, rubber-ducky,” she replied.

Right.

She definitely needed to be punished.