"Yes Mistress," I instantly reply, giving him one last look as I follow her.

Anne leads me down a short hallway and turns left into the women's washroom. Like the rest of the mansion it's upscale and classy with a long marble countertop.

"Sit," she orders, gesturing to the end of the counter. Without thought I hop up, landing on my tail and gasp, having forgotten about it.

Anne fights a smirk as she watches me shift and try to get comfortable. My cheeks heat instantly when I catch her watching me, I'm already feeling flustered about how easy I feel with her and how I should behave. I've accepted Jonathan as my Dominant but he's given me over to Anne, something I don't think he'd do with anyone else.

"Chin up," she orders, lifting my chin and bringing a damp paper towel to my face, touching up my make up. "So what has you so upset little fox?"

"I'm just being... well me," I sigh, knowing she wouldn't appreciate me calling myself stupid.

"Izabella," she warns, locking her green gaze on mine.

"Jonathan tensed up and I saw the way he was looking at her... I thought he was mad that she was with Mark now..." I trail off, still feeling uneasy.

"Ha!" Anne laughs. "And what did the old man say about that?" She smirks at me, clearly already knowing the answer and perhaps a lot more.

"That I was wrong, it was because she was looking at me," I mumble.

"You don't believe him?" Anne asks, disapproval lacing her words as she purses her lips at me. "I thought better of you Izzy."

"I just... She's so put together and beautiful... Anne, how can I ever compete with that?!" I groan, feeling my chest tighten again.

"You're on a completely different level Izzy, never stoop to hers to compete. Did Jonathan tell you what happened?" Anne pulls eyeliner and mascara from her clutch and leans in to touch up my eyes. "Close." My eyelids instantly flutter shut and she gets to work.

"Just that he ended it and it wasn't amicable," I mumble.

"That's an understatement," she scoffs. "Before you, he moved around a lot, so much so that he never fully took on a submissive anymore. Sure he'd come to the club and play and occasionally enter into casual agreements... Loni was his last here before he left."

"So what happened?" I ask, opening my eyes, suddenly very interested to know why they fell out so I didn't make the same mistake.

"Patience little fox," she chides. "Look up. As I was saying... He made it very clear from the get go that he wasn't going to be in town for long, but she thought she could change his plan. So as the end drew near, she pushed for more, wanted to move in and be his full time submissive, in the end she thought he would take her with him."

"But he didn't?" I ask,wanting her to get to the important part.

"Nope," she says with a smile. "On the contrary, he ended things a week before he left to give him time to focus on wrapping up."

"Oh," I murmur, my shoulders slumping thinking there's nothing to learn from her story after all.

"That week she threw a tantrum at the club trying to get his attention, then showed up at his condo..." she says, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But the day he left... that was next level. She showed up fully packed and demanded that he take her with and when he refused she slashed his tires."

My eyes go wide hearing what lengths she went to, but a small part of me feels guilty. How much she must have loved him to go to such lengths?

"Normally I wouldn't tell someone this, but I know you," she says sternly, lightly tapping my temple. "You'll dwell on it and let it eat at you instead of asking him, meanwhile the man is wrapped around your pinky finger." My eyes go wide at her declaration, but then his earlier words come back to me.

"But you already know that, don't you little fox," she says with a sly smile, putting her makeup back away. "Up you go." Anne holds out a hand for me and helps me off the counter then turns me to face my reflection in the mirror and sands behind me. With her stiletto heels on top of her height she's a full head above me.

"Do you know why he made you a fox?" she asks, tenderly adjusting my hair around my ears before resting her hands on my shoulders.

I look back into her green eyes and shake my head. "No Mistress." A satisfied smile slips across her lips at my address.

"Jack's a perfect puppy. He's happy and craves affection, and it fits him naturally... Natasha's naughty nature screams aloof feline don't you think? But you?" She pauses, giving my shoulders a squeeze. "You're smart and wary, but once someone's lucky enough to get past that you're playful and loveable with a hint of mischief."

I cock my head slightly to the side, giving her words a moment to register and trying to accept them at face value. She's right about being wary, I've been cautious and afraid for so long it just became part of me, but Jonathan makes it easier not to be.

"Thank you, for everything," I say. Anne has helped me as much in her own way over my journey and when she hit a wall, introduced me to the person she thought could get through to me. Without her intervention I could be still spiraling at my grandmothers.

"Always! We should get you back, Jonathan is no doubt getting impatient," she says, rolling her eyes. "Oh and Izzy, you have nothing to worry about with Loni, you are every bit as beautiful as her, if not more. More importantly, your beauty is more than skin deep, she's ugly on the inside. Stay away from her."

"Yes Mistress," I instantly reply. Before I knew anything about her I had no interest in getting to know Loni, knowing what I know now, I hope to never see her again.

"Good girl," she praises, caressing my cheek before turning and leading the way out of the bathroom. We make our way out of the hallway and through a maze back to the noise of the party.

Unlike earlier with Jonathan the crowd has multiplied and makes it hard to push our way through. Drinks have been flowing freely encouraging boisterous laughter and lowered inhibitions, not like they were high to begin with. I shrink back against Anne as a drunken man grabs for me but she's there in an instant latching onto his wrist and twisting it awkwardly.

"What do you think you're doing?" Anne snaps, twisting further until the man drops to his knees. "Well?"

"Nothing! Fuck," he yells, glaring at her.

"Exactly." Anne's voice is cold and radiates authority as she glares at the cowed male at her feet. "Let that be a reminder, boy, to not touch what isn't yours!"

"Crazy bitch," he growls at the floor, making my stomach drop.

Anne smiles the type of smile that makes me take a step back as she crouches down next to him, twisting his arm even more. "Call me a crazy bitch once more and find out just how crazy I really am." The calm warning seems to register as the man finally stills and nods, knowing he's beaten.

She stands back up, not sparing the man a second look and pulls my leash lightly, nudging me out of my shock to follow her through the now parted crowd. A final look over my shoulder shows the man being helped up by two staff and escorted away. I can't help but look at Anne in a new light.

Becca and Jack have always said there's a different side to her than what she shows me but I thought they were being dramatic. I've seen her be firm with Jack, but that's just part of their dynamic. Nothing I've seen her do before comes close to what I just witnessed, and yet through it all she was as calm and collected as if she was passing him a drink.

Finally our group comes into view and my eyes automatically land on Jonathan. He's stretched out with his arm casually across the back of the couch, but the way he bounces his crossed legs rats him out.

"See, Anne didn't take off with her," Tony laughs, drawing Jonathan's attention back to us.

"Come," he orders, eyes locked on mine. My stomach flutters and I automatically obey but pressure on my neck stops me short of him, drawing an involuntary whimper.

He's so close!

Taking a step back towards Anne I pause and wait, giving her a quick look before dropping my gaze. Having Jonathan so close but out of reach is like torture.

"Anne," he growls, holding out his hand for the leash.

She reaches past me and passes my leash over while rolling her eyes. "Honestly old man, we were gone five minutes."

Jonathan quickly wraps the leash around his hand and lightly pulls. My core clenches as he locks his darkening gaze on mine and practically growls. "Come!"