“Thanks, Eli. Can I get another drink when you have a minute?”
“Sure thing.”
I drain my glass, forcing myself to look anywhere but at Aspen. Flex never misses a thing in this place. He was trained to notice everything, and he’s kept that skill to an annoying level.
“You’re seriously not going to go and talk to her?”
“Nope. I said I’d leave her alone, so I am.”
“Are you going to tell me what the fuck happened?”
“Not here. Not now. It doesn’t even matter. Whatever we had going is well and truly over.”
“She’s been coming down here looking for you.” My pulse quickens.
“Has she said that, or are you assuming?”
“Anyone with eyes can tell. She’s a beautiful woman. There have been a few Doms trying to talk to her, but she doesn’t want anything to do with them.”
“Because she’s not a fucking submissive, Flex. That’s half the problem. At this point, I doubt she’d even give me the time of day.”
He leans in, quiet enough not to involve the entire table in our conversation. “And the other half of the problem?”
“We can talk about it later. In private.”
“Fair enough. You know I’ve always got your back, bro. And for what it’s worth, that girl is a submissive waiting to be trained.”
“We’ll agree to disagree on that.”
“Fine. So, you need me to get a sub on board for the masterclass?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. You should have Pierce or Logan do the class. I’m not in the right headspace. Breath play is intimate. It requires the utmost trust. I don’t feel confident in that right now.”
“It’s a demonstration. There are plenty of subs in here who would gladly submit to you for a night.”
Genevieve comes sashaying into the bar, looking every inch the siren Dominatrix. “Hey, handsome. It’s been a while. Are you finally here to claim that gorgeous woman of yours?”
“Hey, Viv. She’s not mine.”
“You could have fooled me.”
“More fool me.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I’m just here to get Flex to find someone else to do the breath-play masterclass next week.”
“No,” she protests. “You’re the best. You have to do it. Why are you pulling out?”
“Because I’m not comfortable finding a sub for the class.”
“Fine. You can do it to me. It’s not like we’re going to have sex or anything. I understand breath play, and I happen to enjoy it, so I’m the perfect subject.”
Flex and Helena look to Viv with heat in their eyes. Oh, they’re going to have a great time on the training floor.
“You’re not a sub.”
“Exactly. Whatever has you hesitating about a sub, you don’t need to worry about it with me. You can choke me for all to see, and then I’ll take my sub back to my private room to finish what you started.”
