I pulled at my collar, feeling like it was more a noose than a decoration. It never bothered me before, but Forbidden was so crowded that I felt claustrophobic. I’d been touched by more people walking by than I had been the last time we visited Disney World.

Based on the number of people here, I’d say it was the most popular place in town and that it had become a destination spot for people in the lifestyle who visited the area.

Connor decided to join James at the bar for a drink while Ret and Alese manned the security room. I sat behind James, kneeling on the floor in the shadows. The dim lighting near the bar area allowed me to look around without being caught by other Masters scattered throughout the common area.

Matías hadn’t shown his face yet, but the night was still young. My knees ached, and I hoped I wouldn’t be sitting like this for the next six hours. But at least the scenery was spectacularly sexy.

I just couldn’t watch the people who were being put into the stocks and other contraptions to be humiliated. I couldn’t wrap my head around why they found it a turn-on. The last thing that made me want to come was when someone was telling me what a slut I was and trying to shame me as I kneeled naked and in front of a group of people.

The stage directly across from me had already had one couple use the St. Andrew’s cross, and after a quick cleaning, a new twosome stepped up on the stage. This time, a woman wouldn’t be tied to it, but a man. The Domme had on a tight black corset with her breasts spilling out over the top and a pair of skintight black leggings that were partially covered up by her freshly polished over-the-knee boots.

She looked powerful, amazing, and completely in charge of the man. He stared at the floor, stripped bare and waiting for his whipping, and he didn’t make a sound as a crowd gathered around the staging area to watch. I almost felt bad for him, but his hard-on told me he was enjoying every minute of it.

I was lost in the scene before me, forgetting that I was supposed to be looking for Matías, when James tugged on the leash, yanking my head sideways. I couldn’t help myself as I glared up at him and snarled.

Just as I opened my mouth to say something, he pinned me with his icy stare. “Watch for him. We can’t take our eyes off the real reason we’re here,” he said.

I sighed and went back staring from the shadows and surveying the room. But my eyes kept drifting back to the man being whipped and then fondled and the group of people whispering to each other with excited smiles as they watched.

Minutes later, James yanked the chain again, but this time I couldn’t keep quiet. “What the fuck?” It just came out. I couldn’t stop it no matter how hard I tried to remember that I wasn’t to speak unless given permission.

A pair of shoes stepped into my line of sight. A very expensive pair of shiny black shoes, probably Versace, based on the details. Slowly, my eyes traveled up the man’s well-tailored dress pants to his expansive chest and settled on his face.

Matías.

“Are you being mistreated, li’l one?” he asked in a thick accent with his cold, dark eyes boring into me.

I turned my gaze downward. “No, Sir.”

“I’ve been watching you for some time,” Matías said.

James had already swiveled around on the stool and was standing to my side. “Can I help you?” He wrapped the leash around his hand two more times, shortening the space between him and me.

Matías motioned to me with his hand. “It looks like your submissive is unhappy.”

Fuck me.

“She’s in training. Back off.”

“Ahh. I’ve been known to break a sub or two. Maybe you could use help, no?”

“She’s a feisty one,” Connor said from behind me.

I almost snorted at that statement. Feisty didn’t even begin to describe me, but I’d roll with it.

“Connor, tell the man how good I am at training newbies.”

I was sure the fucker was amazing. It was pretty damn hard to steal a woman off the streets and turn her into a sex slave without using means that were deplorable and cruel.

“He’s the best I’ve ever seen, James.”

James stepped forward, moving closer to Matías. “You don’t get to have sex with her unless I approve. Understood?”

Wait a minute. What the what?

James was trying to get Matías into a room alone instead of taking him down in front of all these people. The very thought of going anywhere with that man, even as a ruse, made my stomach twist into a knot.

I bit my bottom lip and stayed still when all I wanted to do was look up and watch the exchange between the two men.

“Understood.”

James hooked his hand around my arm and started to pull me upright. “Up you go, girl.”

My legs wobbled a little as I tried to balance myself on heels that were probably about two inches taller than my comfort zone. James’s hand never left my arm as we followed a few feet behind Matías.

“Do not let that man touch me,” I said as quietly as possible, but loud enough that James could hear me over the thump of the music.

“He won’t.” He gave me a reassuring look, but I still didn’t like it.

Matías pushed open a door in front of us, waiting in the hallway for us to enter first. I glanced up at the security camera, hoping like hell that Ret saw where we were going and would be here before anything happened.

“You haven’t learned to keep your head down, li’l one,” Matías said as I passed by him.

His voice sent chills through my body. The man was good-looking. That probably made his task easier when trying to snare his next victim. There was no way he stole them all himself, but I was sure he had a hand in more than a few disappearances.

I froze as soon as I walked inside. There was nothing sexy or fun about this room. It was the stuff of nightmares for someone like me. I wasn’t into pain. Nope. Not happening. It wasn’t my bread and butter when it came to BDSM. I liked James’s version with orgasm deprivation, dirty talk, and all the spankings a girl could want.

“Red,” I said, fisting my hands at my side.

“No one has touched you. There’s no calling red yet.”

Now, that was bullshit. I could tap out anytime I wanted to, and I knew that. But in Matías’s world, there was no quitting. The door slammed behind me, and Matías and James moved to my side.

James’s fingers brushed against mine, and I started counting down how long it would take Ret to make it to this room before I flipped my shit. Ten seconds if Ret hustled, and he should if he valued his life.

Ten.

Matías moved toward the restraints that hung from the ceiling, opening them and motioning for me to come forward.

Nine.

I glanced at James, waiting for his lead as to what to do next. The last thing I wanted was to be chained up and helpless with this man in the room.

Eight.

James nodded at me, and I silently cursed under my breath.

Seven.

My mouth went dry. I tried to swallow, but nothing happened. I glanced at Matías and back to James, narrowing my eyes and snarling.

Six.

I took a step forward, and Matías shook one of the shackles. I forced myself to keep moving forward when all I wanted to do was run.

Did people really do this stuff? Hand their submissive over to another person to “train”? In all my time in a club, I’d never seen it. But Matías either wanted me that badly, or he didn’t give a fuck about anything.

Five.

Three more steps and I’d be within arm’s reach of Matías and the device I know he’d probably torture me with if he had the chance. My feet moved forward and I was crawling at a snail’s pace, but I couldn’t move any faster.

Four.

“You’re only going to make this worse on yourself, girl,” Matías said, growing impatient with me.

“I’m sorry.” The words came out as a squeak, but hell, this was scary. I wasn’t sure I’d been this scared since Rebel kidnapped me, but James was here and he wouldn’t let Matías touch me. This was all for show while we waited for Ret. I repeated that in my head.

Three.

I took another step, and Matías reached out, yanking me forward. I lost my balance, tumbling toward him, and did a face plant right into his chest.

Two.

There was a loud crash as Ret came barreling through the door with his gun drawn.

One.

Matías spun me around and put me in a choke hold.

“I’ll snap her neck,” Matías barked right next to my ear.

Fuck my life.

I always got pulled into their shitstorm, and it never ended up like it was supposed to when we made our plan. If my dumb ass hadn’t fallen forward, I wouldn’t be in his arms and vulnerable.

“Fucker,” I seethed and glanced over at James, who was already advancing toward us.

“One more step and it’s over.” Matías’s grip tightened.

Ret’s gaze narrowed, and his finger ticked against the trigger. He better be a damn good shot if he was going to take the chance with my head so close to Matías’s. But when my legs wobbled again, I knew I couldn’t be a passive victim in this.

I needed to act. The only thing I could do was to use the one thing I had at my disposal. I inched my foot to the side until it touched Matías’s fancy leather shoes.

Bringing my knees up, I smashed my six-inch Louboutin down on the top of his foot. He lurched forward just enough for me to break free of his hold and run into James’s arms.

“Keep him alive,” James told Ret.

“Can I shoot him at least?”

Matías straightened, and his eyes grew colder. “You might as well kill me. I won’t talk.”

“Orders are to bring him in unharmed unless there are extenuating circumstances.”

“This is extenuating.” Ret smirked.

“Just let him shoot the fucker,” I whispered into James’s chest as I tightened my grip around his back.

James grabbed my arms, untangling me from him. “Stay here and don’t move.”

I wanted to cry. I needed him at that moment, but I knew I couldn’t cling to him forever. If we were going to get out of here, he needed to restrain Matías.

The men worked fast, fighting Matías as they overpowered him and put him into the very shackles he was going to put me in. He screamed, struggling the entire time, but no one outside of our room could hear him.

Connor had told us every room was soundproof even though it was monitored by a two-way intercom at all times. No one would be coming to rescue Matías.

“Izzy,” James said as he stalked toward me.

I was still in a haze from everything that happened, and my heart hadn’t stopped pounding in my chest. “Yeah?” I whispered.

“You and Alese go back to the hotel, and we’ll be back there as soon as they come to pick him up.”

“Okay,” I said and nodded slowly and robotically.

He wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in his warmth and safety. “Are you okay, doll?”

“I’m okay,” I said to him and buried my face into his shirt. “I’ll be okay. Just a little shell-shocked.”

“We would’ve never let anything happen to you,” he said in a soft, deep voice.

“I know. Can we wait here for you? I’d rather have a drink and wait in the common area than walk back to the hotel without you.”

He swept his hand across my back, soothing me. “That’s fine.” He leaned forward and kissed the top of my hair. “Go wait out there. Alese, if you can hear me, meet Izzy at the bar, please.”

“Thanks.” I hugged him tighter before breaking the embrace.

I took one last look at Matías. Seeing him helpless and restrained made me happy, but I couldn’t just walk out. I needed to do one more thing to feel I had the power back.

I stalked forward, my heels clicking against the cement floor.

James turned and stared at me, but he didn’t say a word.

I didn’t have words for how I felt about the man, but I did have one thing I wanted to do. I raised my hand and slapped him as hard as I could. My fingernails grazed his skin as they swept across his face, leaving a red mark and drops of blood.

James looked shocked, but he didn’t say anything as I spun around on my heels and marched out of the room. Fuck Matías. If I had my way, I would’ve tortured him until the men arrived to take him into custody. I’d hook electrodes up to his junk and electrocute him until it became useless.

Just thinking about it brought a smile to my face and gave me satisfaction. Alese was at the bar waiting for me when I walked into the public area. I slid onto the stool next to her, unhooking the leash and removing my collar.

“Fuck, that was intense.”

“Sounded like it.”

“Jack straight up, and keep them coming,” I told the bartender.

“Same,” Alese said because the girl could drink.

We’d become fast friends over the years. BDSM and ALFA were our commonalities. That, and strong men who pushed our buttons. Like me, Alese gave as good as she got.

“You okay?” she asked as I lifted my shaky hand, holding the freshly poured shot to my lips.

“I will be.” I laughed. Slowly at first, but it built into a cackle.

“I’d be crying if I were you.”

I poured back the Jack, taking all of it before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Alese looked more shell-shocked than I felt after the whole Matías ordeal. But it was over, and somehow, I’d gotten out of a sticky situation again with my life.

One thing I knew for sure—I didn’t want to see the inside of a private BDSM room for a long, long time. The memory of the look on Matías’s face and the panic that clawed at my insides wouldn’t be leaving me anytime soon.

“Another,” I told the bartender as he passed by.

I figured the best way to chase away the memory was with my buddy Jack.