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choosing his words carefully so as not to get the sweet Presley into trouble—“reluctant to answer.”
    “You don’t say?” Dmitri looked to Presley, and he firmed his voice. “Tell me what’s going on with Cora.”
    “I …” Presley avoided his gaze, looking to the hardwood floor. “I can’t tell you.”
    Dmitri grimaced.
    Aidan might’ve been amused that his friend appeared shell-shocked at his submissive’s response. That was, if his frustration wasn’t coiled tight inside, threatening to explode. His only focus remained on Cora and her well-being.
    “Try again, Presley,” Dmitri said in a stern voice.
    She hurried to his side and placed her hand on his forearm. “Please don’t make me tell you. I promised Cora that I wouldn’t say anything. Don’t make me break a promise to my best friend—”
    Dmitri pressed a finger against her mouth. “First, you are damn lucky, doll.” He tilted his head, his features softening. “Next time, lead with what you just said. Then I won’t have thoughts of a punishment that would not be enjoyable for either of us.” His posture loosened with a long exhale. “Second, if something is a private matter between two friends, you don’t have to tell us.”
    Color returned to Presley’s cheeks. “Thank you.” Her eyelids lowered, and she gave Aidan a quick look beneath her long lashes. “She made me promise.”
    Dmitri brushed his knuckles over her cheek and murmured, “I can appreciate that. It means you’re a loyal friend.”
    Fuck that . Aidan didn’t appreciate it, as it confirmed his worries that Cora was in trouble. If there was nothing wrong, Presley would have nothing to hide. While they were play partners, Cora was also a good friend. He protected his friends. In the club, she was his submissive, and he wanted answers. His heartbeat pounded that she had such dark emotions in her soul. It raised every Dom instinct to hunt down the source and remove it.
    Turning to Aidan, Dmitri raked a hand through his stylish blond hair. “I won’t force Presley to share. You’ll have to talk this out with Cora.”
    Aidan jerked his chin in understanding. They were Doms, not assholes, and wouldn’t make a submissive break a secret. But damn it all to hell, he’d rather be an asshole with answers than a clueless idiot.
    A loud slap of skin, followed by a sharp scream, drew his focus to the flogging scene. While he watched a Dom turn his submissive’s skin a deep shade of red, question after question raced through Aidan’s mind.
    What hurt her?
    How could he fix it?
    He didn’t appreciate the sense of uselessness he was now feeling, and he’d not sit idly by knowing she suffered. As her friend, he owed her that much. If he could somehow make whatever troubled her better, he would.
    No questions asked.
    He glanced away from the flogging and noticed Dmitri caressing the side of Presley’s cheek. She leaned in to his touch and stared at him with such devotion. A headache loomed right alongside the ache in Aidan’s body. Though it pleased him that his friend had found happiness, he also didn’t need the reminder of what being loved by a submissive looked like.
    With a chest so heavy he had to force himself to breathe, Aidan jerked his gaze away and shut his eyes. His last committed relationship happened swiftly, knocking him on his ass. Lily had been everything he’d wanted in a woman. A submissive who was spunky with a side of sweet.
    She began working for him as a law clerk when he completed college and worked in his father’s law firm. After a late night at work, a drunk driver decided to get in his car and go down the same street as Lily, ending her life.
    When she died, he died, too.
    He had lived with that pain for five years. His gut twisted, thinking that Cora may have experienced such darkness. But that was the problem. He had no idea what caused her to plummet into misery.
    Pulling him away from his thoughts, Dmitri said, “Go and find Cora. Please