Page 484 of The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The Second Collection

She nods and sits down between us, crossing her legs and smoothing down her skirt. “There are times to push and times to retreat.”

Fuck me.

“What the hell are you saying?” I ask.

“That you’ve lost the battle but not the war.”

“You have to be fucking kidding me. I put two clear cases of Drew and his fucking wolfpackstalkingour goddamn subs in front of the committee. No, I can’t prove he was behind what happened to Cappa but Annabelle’s statement was pretty damning. What the fuck did he say to the committee?”

Maude taps her fingernails on her knee. “He’s clever. Maybe cleverer than I gave him credit for. He started by criticizing the changes you’ve been making. He suggested that they stemmed from your caregiving ‘indulgences,’ as he called them. He brought up your aversion to gang bangs and said you were creating a culture of intolerance toward hard sadism at the club?—”

“Well, that is fucking rich,” I burst out.

“I’m aware of the irony.” Maude reaches out and covers my hand with hers. She locks our fingers together and takes a deep breath before she says, “He reminded us that we’re dominants. That we are driven by the need to control. The house subs are driven by the need to give themselves over to that control. They don’t always understand that about themselves and that’s why they come to us, to help them discover those deep truths and explore their submissive nature.

“He reminded us that we are, in essence, hunters, and the subs are our prey. We wrap that in scenes and safe words but we will always have that need to control and subjugate and denying those needs is denying our own truths. He asked us to consider how we could hope to provide true dominance for our subs if we’re lying to ourselves about what we are?”

I start to growl, “That is complete?—”

“Hear me out,” Maude says quietly. “He pointed out that although Shannie was frightened, she did, in fact, submit successfully to both Ty and Hart. The scene fulfilled one of her key submission goals. Drew reminded us that sometimes we have to use a sub’s fear to get them where they don’t just want butneedto go. He called it a successful scene and there were a number of nods around the table, Logan.”

“Then they’re assholes. None of them sat there while we talked to Shannie. She doesn’t think it was fucking successful.”

Maude nods. “Unfortunately, Annabelle isn’t as well known. She’s too new. There were only a few committee members who had scened with her at all and almost none of the hard sadists. Drew expressed regret at her leaving the club and denied any knowledge of the threats made against her. He admitted being involved in the DVP scene but said it was negotiated in advance and she never used her safe word. He understood it might have pushed her physical limits but pointed out that she’s given vaginal birth to two babies without mishap. Drew said he took that into consideration and wouldn’t have attempted a DVP scene with most of the other house submissives. He came across as thoughtful and conscientious?—”

“Then he’s a goddamn sociopath because no one who thinks it’s okay tohuntour house submissives has any shred of fucking conscience,” I snap.

“We can’t judge him on his morals, Logan, only his actions. That left the situation with Cappa which, as you know, didn’t directly involve Drew?—”

“The asshole who tore up Cappa so badly he needed sixteen stitches is part of Drew’s fucking wolfpack,” I growl.

Maude squeezes my fingers hard. “Direct your anger at a useful target. Caddy, Cris, and Chess said not one word against Drew or in your defense when he was accusing you and Mac of being too soft on the house subs because you’re Daddy Doms?—”

Maude breaks off at a sharp snort.

“I am not a Daddy Dom,” Mac says, finally interjecting himself into the conversation. “In less than a month, I wrangled one of the toughest, sassiest subs here into twenty-four-seven submission. Something not a single other Dom here managed in five years. Not that I believe for a second that Logan’s gone soft, or that a little softness in this situation isn’t warranted. This is bullshit. That baby-faced prick is an abuser. Anyone with eyes can see it. If the committee doesn’t see it, or isn’t willing to doanything about it because they have a beef with Logan and me, then they don’t deserve the house subs.”

Maude’s eyes flick from Mac to me and back to Mac. “What are you saying, Michael?”

“I’m saying that none of the house subs will be showing up for work until this club is a safe place for them. And that if they don’t get full pay while they’re off, I’ll personally file hostile work environment claims for all of them against Drew and every member of the management committee who supports him.”

Maude clears her throat. “Well.”

“Navy taught me a thing or two about using what little the law provides,” Mac says. “There are thirty-eight men and women here who are being put in an unsafe situation by their employers. Thirty-eight uniquely vulnerable men and women. And by God, Uncle Sam, and the great State of New York, I will protect them.”

Having seen Mac get like this before over the men under his command and remembering what he said about letting him fight this battle, I sit back with a nod. “What he said.”

“Michael, you’re very new to all this?—”

“Doesn’t make me blind or stupid. No, I don’t have the history with the people in that room that you and Logan have. But I have spoken with each and every one of the house subs over the last two weeks, which is something I’m betting none of the other committee members has done. More’n one of ‘em’s hurting. Many of ‘em are scared. None of ‘em will show up tomorrow if I send a message to the chat group every single one of them joined tellin’ them it’s not safe for them here.” Mac chuckles. “Well, Briar Rose might. Have fun with her.”

Maude looks faintly impressed.

“I suggest trying to catch the three Cs now, before any of them leave the building, and ask that they reconsider.”

Mac nods and rises, scooping Livvy’s car seat up by the handle. He holds Maude’s chair for her like the gentleman he is and gestures for her to precede us out of the Trattoria.

“Even if this is the right decision, they won’t like being strong-armed into it,” Maude warns as we follow her into the hallway.