more reliable witness. She glanced down at her clasped hands, really not wanting to get into this.
“No visible bruises, but his words hurt as much as a fist. He beat her up emotionally,” Emma explained, reaching out to squeeze her friend’s hand. “After he stripped her bare and left her defenseless, the bastard dumped her without warning when she turned thirty-five like it was a pre-ordained cut off point.” Getting angry on her behalf, she cast her hand toward Livvy. “I mean, look at her, she’s thirty-eight, but freakin’ gorgeous and will be at forty-eight and forty freaking years from now at seventy-eight. Trust me, I’ve seen her mother. By my way of thinking, he did her a favor, but it took a while for us to convince her of that.”
“Can we change the subject, please?” Livvy implored softly.
“Silence, pet.” Joseph hadn’t used the commonly used submissive endearment in public before, but didn’t hesitate in front of Emma and David. They’d understand its meaning and used with his no-nonsense tone of voice would also recognize he meant business, right now.
“I blame myself.” David’s low voice rumbled with anger. “I was away for two years while working on my PhD and completing my internship. She’d talked about him, but whenever I came home for a visit, he was always out of town or he cancelled when a work matter suddenly came up. I suspected something was wrong, but Livvy convinced me I was imagining things. I finally got the chance to meet him about two years in and recognized his bullying and emotionally abusive shit the moment I laid eyes on him. I should have done more than try to persuade her he wasn’t good for her.”
“I’m an adult, David, as I was then. I wouldn’t have listened. I didn’t, in fact, the many times when you tried,” she ended in a whisper. She curled into Joseph’s chest. “It wasn’t long after he left that I transferred into your office. The change was good for me, but it took a while to come back to myself. David and Emma helped me.”
“It wasn’t just us, Liv,” he added gently. “You need to tell him all of it.”
Livvy glared at him again. Was nothing private with these Doms?
Joseph intercepted the look and turned her face up to his. “Don’t take this out on him, Olivia. David knows how important disclosure of past trauma is in our lifestyle, not to mention honesty and trust. By revealing your remarkably imprudent omission, it shows his concern and love for you. You should have told me this first thing, so he didn’t have to.”
“I know that,” she whispered. “It’s just so embarrassing.”
“To have fallen in love?”
“No. To be pathetic and weak. That’s how he made me feel.”
“This happened three years ago, is that why you never got involved again?”
“I was being cautious,” she said evasively.
“Olivia,” David cut in, repeating, “tell him all of it.”
“I was getting to it, David. As I said, it took a while to come back to me. I was in a very bad place and slipped into a clinical depression. It took counseling and a psychiatrist to intervene.” She glanced up at him to see how he was taking it all. Seeing no disapproval or condemnation, she added, “I’m off the antidepressants and my therapy sessions have ended. The change in jobs, David coming home and having him and Emma in my life really helped me heal. There was also this really hot attorney who caught my eye.”
Joseph’s grunt was the only acknowledgement of her attempt to lighten the mood. “Have you been with anyone since the bastard? Am I the first in three years?”
“I’ve had a few dates.”
“You know that isn’t what I meant.”
“I’ve scened at the clubs a few times, but nothing serious.”
“She pushed them away,” David put in. “Just like she tried to do to you that first night. Thank god you had the balls to call her on her shit.”
His eyes searched her face, stroking her face gently. Suddenly, they shifted
“No visible bruises, but his words hurt as much as a fist. He beat her up emotionally,” Emma explained, reaching out to squeeze her friend’s hand. “After he stripped her bare and left her defenseless, the bastard dumped her without warning when she turned thirty-five like it was a pre-ordained cut off point.” Getting angry on her behalf, she cast her hand toward Livvy. “I mean, look at her, she’s thirty-eight, but freakin’ gorgeous and will be at forty-eight and forty freaking years from now at seventy-eight. Trust me, I’ve seen her mother. By my way of thinking, he did her a favor, but it took a while for us to convince her of that.”
“Can we change the subject, please?” Livvy implored softly.
“Silence, pet.” Joseph hadn’t used the commonly used submissive endearment in public before, but didn’t hesitate in front of Emma and David. They’d understand its meaning and used with his no-nonsense tone of voice would also recognize he meant business, right now.
“I blame myself.” David’s low voice rumbled with anger. “I was away for two years while working on my PhD and completing my internship. She’d talked about him, but whenever I came home for a visit, he was always out of town or he cancelled when a work matter suddenly came up. I suspected something was wrong, but Livvy convinced me I was imagining things. I finally got the chance to meet him about two years in and recognized his bullying and emotionally abusive shit the moment I laid eyes on him. I should have done more than try to persuade her he wasn’t good for her.”
“I’m an adult, David, as I was then. I wouldn’t have listened. I didn’t, in fact, the many times when you tried,” she ended in a whisper. She curled into Joseph’s chest. “It wasn’t long after he left that I transferred into your office. The change was good for me, but it took a while to come back to myself. David and Emma helped me.”
“It wasn’t just us, Liv,” he added gently. “You need to tell him all of it.”
Livvy glared at him again. Was nothing private with these Doms?
Joseph intercepted the look and turned her face up to his. “Don’t take this out on him, Olivia. David knows how important disclosure of past trauma is in our lifestyle, not to mention honesty and trust. By revealing your remarkably imprudent omission, it shows his concern and love for you. You should have told me this first thing, so he didn’t have to.”
“I know that,” she whispered. “It’s just so embarrassing.”
“To have fallen in love?”
“No. To be pathetic and weak. That’s how he made me feel.”
“This happened three years ago, is that why you never got involved again?”
“I was being cautious,” she said evasively.
“Olivia,” David cut in, repeating, “tell him all of it.”
“I was getting to it, David. As I said, it took a while to come back to me. I was in a very bad place and slipped into a clinical depression. It took counseling and a psychiatrist to intervene.” She glanced up at him to see how he was taking it all. Seeing no disapproval or condemnation, she added, “I’m off the antidepressants and my therapy sessions have ended. The change in jobs, David coming home and having him and Emma in my life really helped me heal. There was also this really hot attorney who caught my eye.”
Joseph’s grunt was the only acknowledgement of her attempt to lighten the mood. “Have you been with anyone since the bastard? Am I the first in three years?”
“I’ve had a few dates.”
“You know that isn’t what I meant.”
“I’ve scened at the clubs a few times, but nothing serious.”
“She pushed them away,” David put in. “Just like she tried to do to you that first night. Thank god you had the balls to call her on her shit.”
His eyes searched her face, stroking her face gently. Suddenly, they shifted
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