And more was the one thing I could not give.
The air shifted between us—thick with everything we said we didn’t want. Everything we agreed this would never be.
If she thought that conversation about who I used to want to be meant something had changed?—
It had, and that was the problem.
Both of us were responsible for blurring the lines until they were barely visible.
But I would have to be the one to redraw them.
I straightened, letting the old version of myself slide back into place. Controlled. Detached. Untouchable.
“Really?” I asked cooly. “Because I’m thinking, after I discussed who Iusedto want to be, you have some notion about that being who I am now.” My tone hardened. “It’s not. I’ve been up-front and honest about that from the beginning, and you agreed.”
“I know that,” she repeated behind clenched teeth. She looked away, but not before I caught the flare of hurt in her golden eyes.
“Good.” I forced myself to ignore it, taking another drink. “So, how did you get in, anyway?”
“Me.” Rose walked up to the table, eyeing me like she knew I was being an asshole to Aspen and didn’t like it. But that was too bad because I didn’t like her letting in non-members as guests whom I was trying to avoid, making nowhere safe to hide.
I’d visited Grace and Felix, but they kept asking about Aspen and why she wasn’t with me. I went to my home office, but the scent of her spicy vanilla musk permeated under the door, taunting me.
Now she was here.
“I know Corbin loves it when I surprise him at the club,” Rose stated, her eyes unapologetic.
“I sure do,” Corbin agreed from her side, meeting her heated smile with one of his own.
Everyone ignored my irritated scowl and sat, talking as if we’d planned a couple’s date. At least Aspen mostly talked to Rose while Corbin and I discussed our businesses. Not that it mattered, because I was hyperaware of her every move, her scent, her…everything.
She laughed, and goosebumps rose on my skin as if trying to reach across the space. She crossed her legs, and my hand twitched with the need to rest against her thigh—anything to touch her. She brushed her hair aside, and my mouth watered with the desire to run my tongue along her neck.
Every bit of her was a tide, pulling me in. Her allure crashed over me in waves, fracturing the walls I’d built all week, bit by bit, until all I wanted to do was bury myself inside her and never leave.
Fuck.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a woman spoke from the stage at the front of the room. “We will perform a spanking demonstration in ten minutes. Please settle in and get comfortable while we prepare.”
I was relieved by the distraction until Emily walked on stage, obviously preparing to be the submissive for the show. The last thing I wanted was to watch Emily getting spanked with Aspen at my side. Especially with the way Emily continued to eye me with her heavy-lidded stare. I took another drink, using the glass to hide a cringe and muffle an irritated groan.
Not five minutes later, the announcer strutted over with a tight smile and leaned down to whisper in Rose’s ear. Based on the blood rushing from Rose’s face, she hadn’t shared anything good. Immediately, Corbin tensed and soothed his hand along her back. He made it look so easy to comfort Rose, while I sat there fisting my hands in my lap, fighting the urge to reach for Aspen—to give her everything she needed to ruin me.
“What is it?” Corbin asked.
Rose sucked in a deep breath through her nose and exhaled through pursed lips. She rolled her shoulders back and slowly blinked, as if fortifying herself to face whatever bad news she’d received. “It seems as if Ronin, our Dominant for the evening, left early without any notice or explanation.”
“Oh, shit,” Aspen muttered with an apologetic wince.
“Yeah,” Rose said, huffing a laugh without any humor.
“Do you need me to go grab someone else?” Corbin offered.
“There is no one else,” Rose bit out. “We’re already short-staffed because three other performers called out, and Duncan quit last week.”
“What about Mark or Lincoln?” Corbin asked.
“I can’t use just anyone. We were supposed to showcase a moderate to intense spanking that leads to the submissive’s orgasm. Mark just started dabbling in impact play, and Lincoln is too soft.”
