I bit down on my lips to hold back the laugh that threatened to escape. If this was him being an
asshole, I’d hate to know what he thought I was. He was being a petulant brat but was nowhere near
asshole level so far.
“Jack knows that I sometimes come back here before my shift starts. I have another job and don’t
always have time to go home before coming here,” he explained.
I held up a hand when he opened his mouth to continue. I didn’t need to hear his explanation. What
I needed was for him to get his ass up so I could get ready for tonight.
He stared at me a few long moments then shook his head as he stood. He rolled his eyes as he
passed me and muttered something under his breath. I was about to ask him if he’d like to repeat
himself but stopped. He didn’t owe me anything and, as much as I distrusted him because there was
something else going on in his life, I had no reason to not believe that Jack let him doze before his
shift. That was a better option than not having a bartender or having one who was asleep on his feet
before midnight.
As I started rearranging tables and chairs to give the room more of a community feel, my mind
kept wandering to Corey. How in the hell had he slipped in here without me noticing? Why was he
picking up as many shifts as he had, if this wasn’t his only job? And worst of all, why in the hell was
my dick still hard twenty minutes after he left the room?
Maybe Genevieve was right, and I needed to get out and get laid.
By the time I had everything set up in the room we would use for tonight’s meeting, Corey had
everything behind the bar fully stocked. This was another one of those small details Jack instituted to
make The Lodge unlike any other kink club on the East Coast. Where most of them were exclusive
clubs with gatekeepers to regulate who was allowed in and out of the space, Jack preferred to employ
a staff of bouncers who roamed the public areas. Deeper into the bar, there was a second entrance
where those who wanted to play had to check-in. How that would work once the new spaces were
opened to the public remained to be seen.
When Jack had first discussed his plans with me, I had doubted he would be able to pull it off.
Everyone knew kink and booze didn’t mix, but the man was a genius when it came to the details. He
had managed to create what everyone—myself included—had warned him would be impossible. And
nearly a decade later, he was never content to proclaim his club had completed its evolution.
Almost without thought, I found myself approaching the bar. Maybe I had been too hard on Corey
