“Yes. My. Den. My play pen, like my former home was YOUR playpen, this
is mine; don’t you like it? Or do you disapprove?” Shane’s kept her
eyes down, she could feel Tina goading Bette into some sort of fight. A
fight that Shane knew Tina’d win, Tina wasn’t who she’d been when she’d
been with Bette.

“What are you doing? Have you lost your mind? Look around you, Tina! Do
you see the pain” Bette began and the club went silent, as if on cue,
they all began to move, like a wave to the closed doors and to the
front door of the club. Not hiding, but knowing that a storm was
brewing on the horizon and the new Mistress of the house was bout to
get her bitch on.

Tina narrowed her eyes and coldness radiated from her skin while anger raged in her blood. Both Shane and Jo could smell it.

“Pain? What do you know about pain, Bette? Nothing! You walk into My
Club. Mine. With your bitch in tow. And you have the fucking nerve to
criticize me, to treat me like some sick pervert child who doesn’t know
her own mind?”

Bette’s mouth fell open, and she gasped for air. Of all the responses she expected, this was not one of them.

“You see pain because that’s what you want to see. I see release.
Freedom.” Tina continued, and Shane moved closer to her, just close
enough for her to smell Bette. To smell the fear drifting from her, the
panic, the surprise.

“I see Shane’s fingerprints all over this You prey on women, Shane,
you always fucking have and now Tina!” Bette yelled, and Tina let out a
soft maniacal laugh at the assumption that Shane had driven her to
this, led her down this path. When in reality, it was Bette that had
driven her there, and Shane had simply come along for the pleasurable
ride.

“Prey? On me?” Tina asked with such sarcasm it bit into Bette, Tina
moving to Bette, letting her gaze drift over her body as if never
having seen it before. Taking in each curve, each muscle of the woman’s
picture perfect body. Feasting on her like she’d never done or had the
audacity to before.

Candace stood up, Ivan did the same, only Kit stayed sitting, not
getting into this fray. She knew better, Ivan nodded his approval and
Candace’s hands looked for something, anything to grab hold of. Ivan
reached out to steady her.