Chapter 35: The Tale of Esme

-Scott's POV-

Everyone looked at her in shock. Laurent was the first to recover.
"Esme, mon ange. You do not have to speak. You do not have anything to explain. It is enough that they should trust in me, your Dom, to care for you."
Esme pulled away and hung her head slightly.
"It is okay, Maître. I should have told them the truth long ago. As I need to face this, I need to be truthful as well," she admitted.
Laurent stared at her for several moments before pulling her close again while she spoke. He was giving her comfort and strength, which I recognized easily enough.
"Last year, Maître and I... Well, we had a bit of a falling out. He had a job offer in England, and I did not wish to move. So we parted," Esme began to explain.
Laurent held her tighter as his face darkened. There was red-hot anger and perhaps jealousy. However, both emotions I could understand. I knew from experience how difficult it was to watch Molly with that stuffed shirt, Jean-Pierre. I couldn't count how many times I wanted to bash his head in and had to stop myself.
I gave myself a mental shake and forced myself to turn back to the matter at hand.
"Shortly after, I met a man that was... seemed perfect for me. He was strong, poised, devastatingly handsome, and did not hesitate to agree to all my needs. Missing my Master and someone to submit to. I did not realize I had been... tricked until it was too late," Esme admitted.
The mortification was so clear on her face that I would have hugged her. That was if Laurent would let her go.
I saw Molly move closer, and there was a sense of empathy on her face. She was such a kind heart that it made my own swell of her. I pulled her close to soothe her as best I could, and Molly did not hesitate to lay her head on my shoulder to allow me to comfort her.
Molly seemed to just be listening to the silence as if she could read the whole story in Esme's head. She reached out and took Esme's hand to give her more strength.
Esme squeezed it gratefully and gave Molly a weak smile. She took a deep breath and continued with her story.
"He took me into one of the private rooms. I knew I shouldn't have gone since I barely knew him. But he was so persuasive and adamant that I felt I could not say no. He always seemed to say the good things that made me want to do as he asked. It didn't matter if I had already been clear that I didn't want to."
Esme's voice faltered, and Molly squeezed her hand again. Me? I squeezed Molly, needing to feel her next to me to help calm myself down. What Esme was describing wasn't a Dom... it was a manipulator.
It didn't happen often if we could help it. But sometimes, it was hard to distinguish between the two until, as Esme said, it was too late.
"This is why we have our safewords," I whispered in Molly's ear. "Any time you are here and don't like what's happening... if no one's listening, you can use it. Understand?"
Molly nodded slightly.
"Even me... understand?" I reminded her sternly
I saw her hesitate a moment, then nod once more before shushing me as Esme began to speak again.
"I wish I could say all was well when we got in the room, but... It was like he used all my limits against me. H-he degraded me... humiliated me... now..."
Esme choked up completely and began shaking her head as she turned into Laurents's chest as she cried.
Laurent kissed the top of her head and whispered to her in French. I didn't need to know what he said; I understood the tone of his voice. After he helped calm her, Laurent looked at us. There was a grave somberness about him that Noah and I understood all too well. We all cared for Esme, for all the subs in our care.
Hell, most of the time, if we came across another person who needed help, we would be the first to offer it. I knew we've all done that a time or two in our lives.
This was the ultimate betrayal of one of our own and shredded us all deep to our core.
"This is why we came tonight. When Esme pays, she hears his voice. I was working on that. She has done better at home, but we wanted to try the cub now. I was just trying to help her. That is all," Laurent admitted. "She asked me not to tell anyone. So I have not. Until today."
I couldn't help feeling guilty about pushing them as hard as I did. I looked over to Noah and saw the same look on his face.
But there was also deep anger. I gave Noah a warning look. His anger was not pointed at Esme or Laurent and didn't need to make them think it was. The real object of his fury was the asshole who put them in this position. That was what I needed Noah to remember. Thankfully, Noah got the hint and took a moment to get himself under control.
Noah looked at Laurent for permission before reaching out and touching Esme on the shoulder. She turned and looked up at him. Her dark eyes were still glistening with tears.
"I'm so sorry, petit. I did not mean to embarrass or hurt you. I was just concerned for you, that's all. It's hard to remember that you are not under my care when I know you are hurt. But I see now that you are well and truly cared for," Noah apologized as he hugged Esme tight.
Esme sniffled and hugged him back, then turned to me. With a glance at Laurent...and Molly, I stepped forward and swept Esme a bear hug and my own apology for forcing her to recount such a terrible moment for her.
"But next time, do not think you can't talk to us or need to hide anything. We all care, and if you need help, you only need to ask... no matter what," I reminded Esme.
The tears exploded instead of waned, and for a moment, I thought I'd said something wrong. Then Esme threw herself at us all and hugged the life out of us.
"Merci messieurs, merci beaucoup."
We chuckled and hugged her back. We pulled away, and much to my surprise Molly was next in line for a hug.
I smiled at her, letting her know that I appreciated her compassion for my friend. She flushed slightly and looked away.
"Molly, why don't you and Esme grab some drinks and food. We'll meet you there in a moment," I suggested when they broke apart.
Esme looked to Laurent, who nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Go, ma chérie. You did well tonight, and I am so proud of you. Go get to know your new friend," Laurent encouraged her.
Molly quickly looped her arm through Esme, and within seconds, anyone would have thought they were old friends.
As they walked away, I could have sworn I heard Molly exclaim relief that she wouldn't have to drink wine.
I chuckled slightly and turned back in time to see Noah step forward and pin Laurent with a furious look. All pretense that he was not angry was gone.
"What was this cock suckers name?" Noah snarled.