To be honest, she hadn't actually wanted to come. It had been years since she had last gone to this kind of get together. But she had mentioned it in passing and Emma had looked so hopeful that she conceded with a small sigh and a smile. Anything for her girl.

It had been all Emma would talk about. Each day closer to the event had only heightened the excitement in the blonde. Once she saw the glee on Emma's face, she knew that she had made the right choice.

But now that they were there, she wasn't entirely sure that she had made the right choice. The music was blaring, some genre that she wasn't familiar with, and there were far more people than she had anticipated. She felt Emma fidget nervously beside her and gave the clammy hand a gentle squeeze.

"Are you alright, darling?"

Emma's smile seemed forced. "I know that I was the one that wanted to come to this. But now that we're here I'm a little nervous. There's a lot of people here." Her eyes followed a man as he walked by.

"Do you think a drink would help you relax?" At Emma's slow nod she chuckled and placed a kiss on her cheek, her lips lingering so she could whisper in her ear. "One drink, a single. Nothing too strong."

Emma nodded obediently. "Yes ma'am."

"Before it gets to be too overwhelming, remind me of your safe word."

"Poptart," she said with a laugh. It had been a silly word, yet it had stuck.

Regina chuckled as she placed a second kiss on Emma's cheek. "Good. I'd like a whiskey neat while you're there."

Emma gave Regina's hand a light squeeze before she was weaving in and out of the crowd to make it to the bar. It was more active than she had anticipated and she was shocked to see so many people into the same thing that her and Regina were. And though that is what had her nervous in the first place, it also calmed her with the knowledge that she was in a safe place and no one would be judging her.

It took a minute to get the drinks and she hoped Regina wouldn't be mad at her for taking too long. She could just barely make out the brunette locks and burgundy blazer from across the sea of people and longed to get back to Regina's side. She was halfway there before she was stopped by a man roughly her age.

"Hey there babygirl. Why don't we switch those out for a couple of beers and you follow Daddy to one of the back rooms, eh?"

Her eyebrows rose high towards her hairline and she couldn't bite her tongue in time. "You're got to be fucking kidding me."

The man looked taken aback for a second. "Oh jeez, I'm sorry. You must be another domme."

"Uhh, no."

"Oh." His face quickly changed from apologetic, to a smirk, to annoyed anger. "You better watch your mouth when you're speaking to a dom. I won't tolerate a brat."

Emma gave him a look before shaking her head with a low chuckle. "I did not come here for this. Poptarts."

"Poptarts?"

"Poptarts," she said firmly. In an instant she felt a hand at the small of her back and a familiar scent tickling her nose.

"What's going on here?" Regina's voice was cool as she reached for her drink and locked eyes with the man standing across from Emma.

"Your sub is being a complete brat." The man's expression turned to almost a leer, his hopes rising. "Do you need help punishing her?"

Disgust crossed Regina's face as she gave the man a once over. "I do believe her having to interact with you is punishment enough. Come along, darling. I found us a nice quiet place to sit."

As Regina began to turn them away from the man, Emma couldn't help smirking back at him. "Yes, Your Majesty."

That earned her a swift swat to the ass.

"Don't be cheeky."