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She waved her hand around the busy bar. “And if you want me to continue to come with you, I don’t want things to be awkward.”
    Cora snorted. “You’re lucky I love you and respect your wishes, or I’d castrate him.”
    “Might I remind you, he was your friend first.” Steven had made new friends in the month he’d lived in Vegas without Presley while he settled into his new job, which, in turn, was how he met his lover, Amanda.
    He’d cheated the second week he arrived but asked Presley to marry him anyway. He said that had been his only mistake, as he called it, and it made him realize how much he loved Presley, but how could she have stayed with him? She didn’t even know him anymore. Shame melted across her. How had she been so blind? “And if not for him, we wouldn’t have met at that party my second night in Vegas.”
    “There is that.” Cora flicked her hair over her shoulder. “For that I’m grateful, but I don’t like him talking to you. He doesn’t deserve your kindness. You should only say fuck off to him, and that’s it.”
    “Cora, I’m not talking to him,” Presley defended herself again. “He just said hello to me at the bar, nothing more.” She avoided telling Cora the whole truth, knowing her friend would be in Steven’s face lickety-split. The night of their breakup, when Presley arrived on her doorstep looking for a place to live, then Steven’s appearance begging for forgiveness and Cora ripping into him, wouldn’t be repeated.
    “Even saying hi is being too nice to him.” Cora picked up a french fry off her plate. “Once you finish your training, maybe you’ll find yourself a Dom who will agree with me and not tolerate you talking to that jackass.” She mumbled some more curses and glared at Steven, who remained at the bar and chatted up the drunk on the stool. Then she stuffed the fry in her mouth. “Enough about the jerk.” The heat in her eyes faded to a warm smile. “Are you excited for tonight?”
    Presley’s cheeks warmed at the reminder of what awaited her in a few hours, and she squirmed in her seat, swallowing the nerves that threatened to overwhelm her. “Ready to barf would be more accurate.”
    “Well . . .” Cora grinned wickedly. “I’m sure once you see a scene instead of reading about it, those nerves will settle into something else entirely.”
    Presley rolled her eyes at how her body flushed hot at that idea. No matter how much things seemed to unsettle her mind, her body liked the idea of the naughtiness awaiting her.
    “All right.” Cora wiped her face with her napkin then dropped it on her plate before she took a big sip of her cola. “We need to go shopping.”
    Presley didn’t move an inch. “Shopping for what?”
    “Clothes for tonight, of course.” At whatever crossed Presley’s face—maybe horror—Cora barked a laugh. “Don’t sweat it, sweet stuff; it’ll be nothing too crazy. But you can’t wear your normal clothes in the dungeon. You’ll look silly and out of place, and do you really want to stand out?”
    “No,” Presley snapped.
    Cora’s eyes twinkled as she grabbed Presley’s hand and yanked her up. “Come on. Let’s pay the bill. We have two hours to take you from the perfect angel and turn you into a devilish submissive a Dom will want to pleasure.”

Chapter Five
    Dmitri arrived home a little later than he had planned. Driving through the wrought-iron gates leading up to his house, he noticed that the circular parking lot around the front entrance was full of cars. An indication that Kyler had arrived in time to open the dungeon doors after Dmitri had called, letting him know he’d be late from work due to a meeting.
    Downshifting his black BMW sportster, he drove along the cobblestone driveway as dusk settled in. The Georgian-style mansion stood proud in its redbrick glory, with black shutters and white pillars. There wasn’t a single detail to the house that he hadn’t had a part in designing; though